Old Target, New Angle
by Tabiebear
Summary: Robin always knew Slade would come back. He's like a deathly boomerang, constantly returning for a hit. Yet, when the young hero discovers Slade's old target is his original apprenticeship, what will be his new angle to achieve it? Rated T for safety. Read and Review.
1. The Night of Change

Night spread around Jump City as a blanket of blackness, tucking away the citizens of their weary day. Fog crawled through the empty streets, its thickness captivating anything around it. The cool crispness of a summer night pinched the air, stroking any lone wanderers around the quiet streets.

Yet, where there is tranquility, so dwells an opposition wanting to break it, for within the city also dwelt something hideous and blood-curdling. Its mutated form roamed into a construction sight, mindlessly looking for things to destroy.

"Plasmus!" yelled Robin, wind flapping his cape as he pointed to the beast, Titans getting ready to fight beside their leader."This sight is off limits."

"Good 'lil monsters are in bed by eight," joked Beast Boy, with his humored grin featured on his face.

A piercing yell sounded from the monster as it whipped its arm at the heroes.

"Titans GO!" And with that, they ran into battle. Raven telepathically picked up a truck and threw at it but it hit it away then threw its liquid-like material at her. Instantly she disappeared into her dark portal like a phantom owned by night. Beast Boy transformed into a T-Rex to charge the creature, but it shot its slime at him.

"EW!" complained Beast Boy, now in his human form, caught in a puddle of slime. "Monster guts!"

Plasmus turned to the leader who gave him a dangerous, challenging look. The beast growled and charged after the him, throwing out hits of slime at the hero. He dodged the attacks in a rapid movement of acrobatics.

Robin back-flipped through the murky night, his swift movement cutting the air like a sharp knife. Landing securely on an unfinished building in the construction sight, he swiped off a strip of sweat away from his face. A wisp of his breath melted into the cool air like the intangibility of the murky fog around him.

Plasmas shot out more of its substance at the young hero. Quickly, Robin ducked from its aim while running across the skeletal figure of building. One of the lively substances molded into an ugly scorpion shape, snorted like a wild boar, and crawled after him. He threw out his bo-staff and sparred with it, aggressively. It tried to grasp him with its form of a claw, but he leaped to a higher pole, swinging around it to avoid more hits aimed at him. At a height, further up than Plasmus' mini-monster, he leaped down, yelling, his bo-staff aimed at the threat.

Before he could reach the chemically mutated creature, a blast of sonic, amplified noise knocked it off the building with an animal-like squeal.

Landing firmly to a lower metal pole, he put away his bo-staff in his utility belt while looking to the source of the noise: Cyborg and his mechanical arm.

"I had him," Robin insisted.

"Sure ya' did," snickered Cyborg.

A green eagle transformed into Beast Boy, perching himself upon the unfinished building. "Duuuude!" he complained. "I hate Mondays!"

"Good," said Raven, coming out of one of her black portals, "because at this hour, it's Tuesday."

"Then let's finish up this zit!" shouted Cyborg, raising up his arm to shoot out another sonic blast.

"That won't work, Cy," said Robin. "He'll just multiply his remains."

"Then how're we suppose to beat 'em?"

"Yeah," agreed Beast Boy in the already negative situation. "I mean this dude's as hard as rock."

"Rock...that's it!" gleamed the leader, leaping off of the building and into the depths of battle.

"I would like some assistance now, please," said Starfire, shooting her starbolts at Plasmus, chasing her.

"Hold on Star," called Robin, leaping onto a parked truck. Gracefully, he flipped into the sky, threw down one of his mini-bombs that burst open the the truck, and made the cement, held in it, spurt out everywhere. He pulled Starfire down to the ground, blocking both of them with his own cape from the mess of Plasmus' goo.

When he pulled his cape down, his masterpiece stood before them- a concrete Plasmus!

"AH, yeah!" praised Cyborg walking to the two with the other Titans behind him. "Beat'n monsters like a boss."

"HELLO! It was MY idea!" proclaimed Beast Boy.

"Right," responded Raven, sarcastically. "Because you were just about to do that, right?"

"Glorious!" exclaimed the Tamaranian, rising to her feet. "We shall celebrate such victory with apprehending the Zs of sleep!"

"I'm up for that!" Cyborg said, he and the Titans walking away...almost all of the Titans.

"Robin?" asked a sweet voice beside the leader, who stared suspiciously at the concrete Plasmus. He turned around to see all of the Titans looking at him. "Are you not joining our return to the tower?"

"I will later," he promised, putting a skeptical finger to his chin. "Plasmus doesn't usually break out on his-_its_ own account. And crime being so slow lately, makes it seem a bit odd that one of Jump's toughest villains would just randomly escape. The whole situation is fishy..."

"Man, can't you just take a break?" Complained Cyborg, rolling his eye. "So there's not a lot of crime. So what? Don't mean you gotta stress about it all the time."

"Yeah," agreed Beast Boy, "ever since Slade's dust got in your system, you've always been-OW!" Raven rammed her fist at the changeling's shoulder to get him to stop talking. "Hey! What was that-!?" he began until he realized his error in mentioning that instance.

Robin stood, his back facing the Titans. A whistle of wind touched his cape lightly, flapping it in the foggy night. It had just been a week since he saw the hallucinations of Slade, a week since they cured him...mostly cured him. The thing about a battle is that, no matter how long ago it ended, there's usually a scar that won't heal from it. Robin's scar is that Slade could still manage to hurt him even when the man is dead.

Cyborg rubbed his hand against his bulky neck, breathing out exhaustion for his friend. "Look,...just be back before morning or I'm coming back for ya."

Biting his tongue, somehow finding offense in Cyborg's words, Robin grimaced, nonetheless, nodded in agreement.

Just as the wind blows, almost all of the Titans slowly drifted away with it. Yet a warm, hand rested upon the leader's caped shoulder. Slowly, Robin turned around to find a concerned Starfire, her emerald green eyes softening in pity.

"Star, I'm fine, really," he assured to plant the gleam back into her stare. A smile spread on his face but its lack of emotion was obvious to even Starfire.

No such joy for her could form when she saw his evident troubles seeping through the masked away eyes. "Apologies, my friend, but I cannot come to believe that," she said, sadly.

"I just..." Robin thought out his words carefully. "I just need some time to think..."

"To...think?" asked Starfire, curiously. "What troubles your mind? Is it...Slade?"

Robin stroked his hand through his gelled hair, a captured breath slowly released. "I guess...maybe. I'm just... not sure how to accept he's gone."

"He is, Robin. It is difficult, I am sure, but please accept that you were not in this battle with him alone. I- the other Titans and I are here for you. We are a team, and even if Slade were really alive, we would handle him as a team. Is that not what friends do?"

Robin nodded, a more genuine smile slipping onto his face. "Yeah, that's what they do..."

Starfire smiled, happy to find Robin's comfort with her. "Then that is what we shall continue to do." Waiting to find his response, but not hearing any, she turned to leave, her sweet comfort gone, leaving him with bitter memories.

* * *

**A/N: It's back! Old Target, New Angle is back due to requests. XD I'm having a little dance victory here while Robin's fuming about it over here. lol, anyways, I'm going to say the same thing I said on my account. It's not gonna be EXACTLY like the original, but I'm hoping that it will only be better. I'm having the same plot and the same relationships, but a couple twists and turns.**

**Just remember to drop off a review so I know what should stay, go, or be the same. Thanks!**

**-Tabie OUT!**


	2. Slade's Return

Robin leaped through the fog, its opaque grasp on him released. He felt his muscles and mind unwind and ease while misty, night air pounded his charging body. Grappling hook to grappling hook accompanied his flight as wings to a bird. Cars, nocturnal to such hours, scattered around the streets like ants, their honking melody carried through the stressed city.

Giving his arms a rest, The Boy Wonder landed on a building roof beside a glowing, red Chinese advertisement. He placed his grappling hook back in his belt, and amused his legs with a little stroll upon the roof. Leaning over to the edge of the building, he found the armed truck, carrying the cement Plasmus. He wanted to smile over the recent victory, but couldn't find the triumphant joy to do so. Sitting on the edge of the roof, his masked eyes stared to his city while his mind was captured in the past.

All those punches, kicks, jabs, hits he thought Slade made were slammed, dented into his memory... to think, none of it was even real. Slade wasn't real. _I could feel it though, _he couldn't help but think. _I could feel those attacks. They all seemed so real..._ His hand wandered to his black-eye hiding beneath his mask. It was getting less noticeable and painful now. Most of his bruises and scars were fading away well thanks to Raven.

Sighing, he ran his fingers through his spiky hair. All of his friends kept trying to help, but his rivalry with Slade was something they couldn't assist in fixing. This rivalry held no room for anyone else to intrude upon. He was always overly obsessed in beating that man, bringing him down...Sure, he was a naturally competitive kid, but when it came to Slade, his determination boosted to a whole other level of madness.

He told himself that he obsessed over Slade merely because the man was dangerous and had to be stopped, but he secretly knew the big fat lie in that explanation. The reason, the _**real**_ reason, he couldn't detach his mind from Slade's capture was because Slade was his inner demon. Slade was his darker side, the monster restrained within him, the shadow of his bold colors. The villain could dig under the teen's skin by finding and exploiting the similarities between them. Yeah, Robin denied those similarities whenever Slade mentioned them, demanded that the man knew nothing about him, but who was he kidding? He was like Slade and Slade like him. He was the other side of the broken mirror, staring him down and questioning whether it was the good or bad side of him that was only the reflection.

Robin rubbed his temple. "It was just a hallucination," he whispered to himself, "all in my mind. He's gone. The issue's gone. I am not like him, I'm not."

The wind hushed him to comfort while massaging his slouched back. He closed his eyes and tried to release his strapped concerns into the abyss of darkness. Breathing in the night, he knitted his hands together, attempting to compose a figure of relaxation.

Then,...then the serenity of the city suddenly broke, shattered like millions of pieces of the glass reflecting his good and bad self. His eyes stretched open, Adam's apple leaped, face flushed...all with one. familiar. voice.

"On the contrary, Robin, I believe we are so very much alike."

Robin shot his head around to find, the one and only...

"SLADE!" he yelled, jumping to his feet, face now in front of the adversary.

"Ah, you still remember me. I'm flattered, really." His voice held the same ice, tiger growl, the same tone that was hard enough to seize anyone's attention but mellow enough to drift away into the air.

"You...," Robin began, struggling to regain his assurance of the man's death, "you... aren't real! It's the dust! You don't exist! You don't!"

"So you've inhaled the dust...a present for you. And by the looks of it," he said while his eye scanned the hero's injuries, "it appears that it worked effectively."

"The dust won't work anymore. You're not real! It's all in my head!" He yelled, grasping his head to try and maintain his sanity.

Slade released an amused laugh. "No? Tell me then...what distinguished the real me from your hallucinations?"

Keeping his serious stare on Slade, he considered his previous situation. "The light...the light made you disappear...it-" Robin halted his words as dreaded reality sank into his mind. The Chinese advertisement was glowing on Slade. The light was on him..., and he was still there. This...was no hallucination!

"...no...," gasped the Titan, taking a step away. "No..., you...no,no,no,no, NO! NO!" Furiously, he threw out his bo-staff and charged the villain.

Quickly, Slade side-stepped away, causing Robin to hit only air. Robin's staff threw another hit to the opponent, but was blocked with a staff Slade grabbed out of his own belt. Robin tried to hit Slade's legs, but the other staff slipped downward to guard his limb. Slade's staff, at that low level, slid upward, hitting Robin's jaw. The teen backed away a bit, preparing for another hit. He twirled his staff around his head then held it in front of his face.

"I knew you'd come back!" He yelled in anger.

"I'm not done with the Titans yet."

"You will be when you're behind bars!" he shouted.

"You're welcome to try..."

Robin narrowed his eyes in challenge to that.

"YAAAAAH!" he yelled, rushing at the mercenary. Slade charged him as well. He threw a hit to the younger, but Robin ducked to jab his stomach. Before the teen could make his attack, Slade flipped over him then tried to kick the boy's back, but Robin swerved around and clanked his staff against the other.

Their bo-staffs continued to clank to the sound of their attacks, one move after the other. Robin threw a hit to Slade's head, but the villain moved too quickly, throwing a hit to the back of Robin's leg.

Painfully, Robin fell, but rolled back to a weaker stance before his nemesis could make another blow. Slade swiped the end of the staff near his legs again, but Robin blocked it, the two of them holding their strength in that position, pushing for the other to fall back.

"Tell me, Robin, will the Titans believe you if you tell them of my return?" asked Slade, still pushing his staff against Robin's. "If I may be so bold to suspect such, they didn't believe you before."

"They will when they see you knocked out," Robin grunted back, struggling to hold his ground.

"Hmm, now there's a bold assumption."

"I don't assume, Slade. I KNOW!" he yelled, pushing off his adversary's pressure on his weapon then back-flipping away. He yelled as he ran toward him, slashing his staff around. Slade blocked the attacks, metal clanking together wildly. Duck, hit, swipe, duck again, they fought in sync to each movement, each attack barely dodged by the other's lightning-quick reflexes.

"What are you planning?" demanded Robin before he tried to hit the man from underneath his masked chin. Slade grabbed the staff that barely touched his chin. At that angle, he twisted around his elbow and smacked it against Robin's face. Grunting, Robin grasped the forming bruise, but Slade gave him no time to recover, slamming his staff into Robin's stomach. Feebly, the hero gasped then dropped to his knees straining to recapture his breath.

Slade knelt beside him, grabbed his dark locks, and yanked it upward so that the teen was forced to look at him.

"You want to know what I'm planning?" asked Slade in a dark, sinister voice. Robin, glaring at the foe, snorted. "You're a clever boy. I'm sure you can figure it out with a little-"

Instantly, Robin head-butted Slade in the stomach, knocking him down to his feet. Before the man even had time to consider getting to his feet, Robin leaped up and pinned his shoulders to the ground.

"NO! No more games! Tell me what you're planning NOW!" Robin yelled, breath heavy and eyes sharp, ready to cut.

"My my, aren't we persistent," he chuckled. Immediately, he kicked off the Titan to the floor. "I suppose there's no reason in keeping it a secret," Slade said, rising to his feet. He paced around Robin, hands held behind his back. "What have I always wanted, Robin?"

"World destruction, power, misery for others, all of the above," retorted Robin, getting to his own feet, watching Slade's every motion.

"Be specific...ever since the beginning, what have I always wanted?" Slade said, his dangerous eye pinned on the Titan. Robin's eyes fell to the ground his complicated mind turned its gears, memory as his oil to power theories.

"Jump City," Robin said, his eyes darting back to the threat. "You've always wanted power of it, but we've stopped you every time."

"Oh, come now...you should know the answer more than anyone..." Robin gave him a confused look so Slade specified. "Both you and Terra should know..."

Robin went pale, but shook his head, shooing away the answer that came to his mind.

"Ah, you do know...," mused Slade, walking closer to him.

"No-no, I'm still thinking," insisted Robin, backing away, fearing the words Slade was ready to say.

"There's nothing more to consider, Robin. You know what my goal has always been," he lectured the youth. Robin shook his head, looking- hunting for another answer, anything but the answer that shouted its obviousness. His blue eyes, hidden away, shot back and forth trying to remember any other answer that fit into the clues.

"Say it," ordered Slade, grabbing the Titan and putting him in a headlock. "Say it out loud."

"I don't know what you're talking about, you psycho!" Robin squirmed around helplessly, fighting against his fear. "I don't know what you're talking about! Let me go!"

"Not until you say it!" commanded Slade, his patience leaking through as his grip tightened.

"I said...," fumed Robin, "I. don't. know!" He gathered all of his strength, threw off Slade, grabbed his staff, and ran back into a fight.

Slade blocked his hits then slammed his fist into Robin's face. The teen backed away, wiping off his mouth while staring at Slade, dangerously.

"Stop being stubborn and say it!" Slade yelled, swiping his staff at Robin's shoulder at a rapid speed. The boy fell to the floor, trying to roll away, but Slade stepped on his stomach. "Apprentices do what they're told, Robin," whispered Slade in a dark, evil voice. "And, as such, you will obey me!"

Those words were the final blow to his ears,burning like acid while reality sank in like a rock. It couldn't be denied now. Slade wanted an apprentice- worse- he wanted Robin as his apprentice. Robin choked on the information, his peace of mind gagging on such news. Once Slade mentioned Terra, Robin knew what the man wanted. Yet when such a fearful thought formed into words and struck through Robin's ears, that's when fear engulfed him.

Nonetheless, Robin ignored his terrified emotion of becoming the man's apprentice and shifted to a rebellious nature.

"I'm not your apprentice!" he yelled. "I won't do it again. I won't be your apprentice again! You can't MAKE ME!" he yelled, thrashing out his legs to the larger leg that held him down.

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong," explained Slade, his voice dropping to an unbelievably dark and threatening tone. Robin's neck hairs rose up, his eyes frozen in terror as he became subject to the man's following words.

"It's not the dust in your system this time. I'm not the boogie man; you can't just wish me away by turning on the lights anymore. I _am_ going to break you and you _are_ going to be my apprentice." Slade reached down and pulled up Robin by the collar until his feet barely touched the floor. "And Robin...," he said, his voice shifting to a conniving chuckle, "you're going to like it."

"NO!" he screamed, back-flipping, his legs hitting under Slade's chin. "My friends and I will stop you!" Robin threw his staff at Slade, but the mercenary moved too quickly. "I am NOT going to be controlled by you again!" He ran to the older man to swipe another attack, but his weapon was hit back as they continued their battle.

"You're bringing your friends in this?" scoffed Slade. "Why, Robin, I must admit you're crueler than even I imagined.." Robin gave him a confused look, Slade swatted his legs beneath the teen's, dropping him to the floor again.

"How's that?" Robin grunted, somersaulting back into a stance.

"Putting them into danger that's really only your business..., I never expected you to do it."

Robin shot an accusing finger at him. "My team can handle anything. I trust them!"

"You trust them?" Slade walked closer. "Red X seemed a bit untrustworthy to me..."

"That was a mistake; I'll admit that. But I learn from my mistakes. I don't hold them back anymore."

"I see," smiled Slade. "You don't want to treat them the way Batman treated you..."

"LEAVE HIM OUT OF THIS!" Robin leaped at Slade, his staff extended to hit him. Slade grabbed the end of the weapon and yanked it out of his hands, throwing it off the building. He grabbed Robin's wrist and leaned him closer to his face.

"It seems I hit a nerve...," taunted Slade. Robin couldn't hide his slight eye twitch. Snorting, Robin threw out his other fist, but Slade seized that one as well so Robin tried to kick, but Slade flipped him over.

"I'm more than aware that you're willing to include your current team on the secret of my existence. But answer me this...," lectured Slade as Robin narrowed his eyes at him. "...how will you live with yourself when your so called friends are dead, lifeless on the floor, their eyes open, looking at you with a questioning look of, 'why?'"

Robin blinked, the grim words of fear puncturing his confidence in the Titans. Could he really watch them die with that heavy weight of guilt crushing his sanity? Flashes of the probe-infested Titans flashed in his mind. They had been so close to death...Slade was completely in control of their lives. How could he let that happen again? How could he let them face death all because of him telling them Slade was still alive? That is, assuming that they'd even believe him. Considering that, just a week ago, he was seeing hallucinations of Slade, telling them the truth wouldn't really ease the situation.

"I'll let you think about that...," said Slade before releasing a gas bomb and disappearing in its mist.

Dropping to his knees, Robin consumed the situation, the twisted, absurd situation. He lifted a hand to his head, struggling to grasp reality. He felt lost...so lost and abandoned to the starving fright that devoured his weakening soul. Sweat slithered down his face, falling to the cold floor. He found himself shivering to terror's cold grip on him.

_This can't be happening to me, _he thought. _Not again. _He slammed his fist to the floor, fear soon heating into anger. _He can't! I won't let him! Not again!...not again..._

"I found him," he heard a dark feminine voice from the sky call out. He didn't bother looking up. He didn't bother responding.

"Glorious!" cried Starfire, rushing to his side and grasping him into a python-tight hug. Robin gasped at the strength...considering Slade's blow to his stomach still rejected oxygen as it was.

"Star, let him go," said Beast Boy, landing on the roof from his falcon form. "You're gonna choke him to death!"

"Man, what did I say?" scolded Cyborg, jumping beside him from a neighboring building. "Get some sleep. You've been out here practically all night. It's five in the morning!"

Slowly, Robin lifted his head, but it wasn't the cocky, independent leader they were accustomed to see. It was the worn down, troubled, pale-faced teen, struck with an ugly mixture of fear and hatred.

"Hey," said Beast Boy softly, "what happened?"

_I can't let them get into this...not after they almost died last time. _

_I have to tell them. I have to trust them..._

_They wouldn't believe me. I just saw hallucinations of Slade last week. _

_Secluding myself from them has always lead me to a darker road...my first apprenticeship, Red X..._

_They'd strap me down again and do their tests. Where will that get me to stopping Slade? Nowhere._

_This is stupid. They can handle themselves against Slade!_

"_**How will you live with yourself when your so called friends are dead, lifeless on the floor, their eyes open, looking at you with a questioning look of, 'why?'" **_came an eerie, familiar voice to his head.

The Titans stared at him, dread inprisoning their eyes at his silence and solemn attitude. They looked at him. He looked to them. He narrowed his eyes, stood to a stance, and said, confidence owning his tone, "nothing..."

* * *

**A/N: Okay, random news of my life: I just watched the 'Super Robin' episode of the new Teen Titans. Up until this point I've been okay with the show. It had its funny moments and stuff. Plus, it was kinda cute. But this episode was just like...WEIRD beyond belief. At the end of it, I was all like, "...okayyyyy?...I WANT MY TITANS BACK!" Don't get me wrong, I'll still watch some of the new series' episodes, but it's just not the same, y'know? I had to refresh my mind with watching an original Teen Titans episode before writing this.**

**Speaking of this fic, Slade's back! I'm kinda speeding things up a bit since most of my readers already know that. :p **Loved the reviews, guys ^_^ I love to hear feedback on chapters! So thanks to everyone who dropped off a word! And now I shall indulge myself upon Swallow Tale's cookie sweetness! YES! OH, how I've missed these!

**Read and Reviews, please!**

**-Tabie OUT!**


	3. Robin VS Punching Bag

Pure fury charged through Robin's veins as he slammed his fist into the punching bag. It swung back only to come back to the raging violence of the Titan. His leg smacked it away with enough force to knock most people unconscious.

It had been almost two days since his first encounter with Slade, and not a word of it had been endowed to his friends, despite their insistence. He had locked himself into his room, restudying every file, note, and newspaper concerning Slade, searching desperately for clues. He paced his room, masked eyes centered on those surrounding news paper clippings of the threat. Possible leads were pinned to his collection on the wall. His gloved fingers traced possible leads on the map of Jump City. When that wasn't enough to ease his frantic mind, he patrolled Jump City, stretching long night hours over his tired body. Blood shot, blue eyes, stalking the shadows like a wild cat on the hunt.

Starfire had pleaded to understand why he was behaving so obsessively, Raven, Cyborg and Beast Boy supporting her request. Robin shook his head and merely said he was watching the city like any hero should do. Yet, everyone knew it was more than that. They all knew this was the behavior exhibited when Robin's mind dwelt on Slade. The Titans had even demanded that they should run tests on him, and Robin grudgingly agreed, slightly curious to if the dust was still in his system. Maybe it was all an illusion again, maybe he'd imagined the whole thing. Maybe he'd grown so accustomed to the dusts' effects by now that light he saw last night could not alone break away the hallucinations of Slade.

However, when the Titans had run their tests, no such theory was supported. The dust was gone. Slade was really alive.

Part of him debated about telling his friends. After all, he didn't want to reconstruct another situation like Red X. He lied on his bed, considering this option, but shooed it away at the memory of the Titans' pain from the last time they interfered with his previous apprenticeship. He could see the pain, the withering, groaning pain coursing through their bodies as those blasted, vile probes attacked. The bright orange glow, the beating white light, the tears running down Starfire's face as her loving eyes stared into his.

No. He was not going to repeat that. He would never again risk that kind of pain on his friends for his own mistakes. He wouldn't-couldn't!

Robin thrust his anger upon the defenseless punching bag in a rage of frustration. He slammed every limb into it multiple times, hoping that his anger would tire out with violence, but it only enhanced it, enhanced it into an uproar of deep, heavy agitation.

Somehow, he transported away from the gym and into a duel with Slade. He could see the man's mask facing him, that slit of an eye narrowing. He could feel the fight- the lightning sharp movements striking rapidly-the iron strength hammering down at him. He could practically breathe in the swift movements rushing past him as they battled, the man's words replayed in his pounding head like a dark echo.

_But you do lack patience_

Robin snarled deeply through his widening nostrils, punching the bag a good distance away.

_That's not so noble..._

His knee collided into it, rapid kicks following its return.

_You can't even touch me._

His fits hammered their temper on the bag, shaking the chain, that held it, wildly.

_Too slow, Robin, you always have been._

A series of rapid punches indented their marks upon the bag, a layer of sweat coating the teen's face.

_You're welcome to try._

Kicks followed again, their blows gradually gaining more brutality.

_Why don't we meet...face to face?_

Pants cut through the air as loathsome hatred fueled his body, possessing it like a puppet, continuing to beat the training tool.

_It's about you. It's always been about you._

A jab smacked it.

_Too slow, Robin. You always have been._

He head-butted it, the force slamming it into the ceiling before it returned to Robin.

_...I haven't even broke a sweat._

Robin snorted at that remark replaying in his head. He kicked it as far away as he could.

_We are so very much alike._

THAT DID IT! He screamed out a war cry and lashed out every anger-pumped energy out on the innocent bag. He leaped on it, legs curled around to keep his grip as he mercilessly punched it. The chain pleaded desperately as its clanking cried. Growls leaked out of the Titan's lips as his hidden eyes widened in rampancy. His flashing fists moved in a blur, quickly slamming all of his bundled emotions-fear, anger, uncertainty, regret- into the red cloth coating.

The teen snarled deeply as he, could have sworn, he heard that punching bag laugh in Slade's sinister tone. Breathing heavily through his flaring nostrils, he somehow found such energy to quicken his attacks, the chain whipping back and forth even more loudly. His face steamed up into a red shade, the knuckles beneath his gloves fading white.

_Who knows...I may even be like a father to you._

NO MORE! A raging, hot-tempered, infuriated scream rattled through his throat as he threw out his rarely used sword. What happened after that was far beyond Robin's own control.

-Haunt-

Slade sat patiently in his chair, observing numerous cameras that decorated his screen. The recorded videos were of Robin fighting the Titans. Such swift, sudden attacks swooped through the battle, overpowering each of the Titans. His acrobatic reflexes blended in with advanced martial arts. Such attacks controlled the battle to his apprentice's advantage.

The man snickered. The potential stored in this child was just too incredible to believe. There were little corrections he noted in the hero's tactics. Still, at the same time, there was so much more to teach him, so much more to apply to his foundational abilities. If he just exercised more brutality, he could knock all of the opponents out far more easily. Although he knew perfectly well that, in that battle with his _former_ friends, Robin was holding back.

Well, there would be no more of that...

"You wanted to see me," he heard a man behind him say, rudely.

"Ah, so glad you could make it," welcomed Slade, turning his chair around. "I was afraid you might refuse when I first requested you."

"Well, your robots make it difficult to refuse such an offer," scowled the man as he looked to each his arms, finding a Sladebot holding him in a death grip. "...very difficult."

"I imagine so," taunted Slade, knitting his fingers into a position.

"So what do you want from me?" demanded the man. Slade's single eye dwindled on him before he stood.

"I believe we share a common interest,...Time Warp."

"And what would that be?"

Slade smiled beneath the mask, his eye drawing back to his videos. "The destruction of the Teen Titans."

Now it was Time Warp's turn to smile. "I'm listening..."

-Titans Tower-

"_Who'd you fight?" asked Raven as she and the rest of the Titans rode home in Cyborg's car. Her answer was unmistakably for Robin, who couldn't help but feel all of the stares upon him. _

"_No one," he grunted, his eyes darted at the car's window, still looking for Slade after his recent attack with the psychopath. _

"_No, y'all were just standing on the top of a roof, beaten and sweaty," replied Cyborg, sarcastically. His humor was on spot but solemness somehow seemed still in tact with those words._

"_It was from the fight with Plasmus," lied Robin, face still avoiding the stares. "I was a little worn out, okay?" _

_He shifted uncomfortably, restraining a grunt from his sore arm. The sweat on his face had cooled _

_down, sticking to his face rather than merely sliding off it. He felt a rip a the side of his shirt and a bruise peeking through it, timidly. Another bruise was forming on his head, barely showing past his curtains of hair. It was framed with scratches, blood smothered lightly over them. The injuries weren't so bad..well compared to his fight the hallucinatory Slade. Yet injuries on Robin were rare, considering his skill in combat._

"_From that battle?" retorted Beast Boy, not buying it. "Didn't last too long. 'Sides, didn't see you get hur-"_

"_I wasn't at my top game," interrupted Robin, aggression evident in his voice._

"_Blanketing lies with more lies doesn't accomplish anything," lectured Raven, her eyes heavy and sharp._

"_Please Robin, something troubles your mind, yes? Surely you can inform us for we are your friends. Is that not friends do?" insisted Starfire, placing a hand on his shoulder. _

"_I'm fine Star," he reassured, forcing a fake smile on his face. The Titans looked back at him, unconvinced. He surrendered the effort and slammed his head back against his seat. Dark purple eyes glared at him harder than any of the others, knowing feeling there was something uneasy drifting through his stressed mind._

"Yo, Rae!" called a younger voice, breaking her away from her building thoughts. She shot her head to the source of the voice: Beast Boy. "Can you pass me the soy milk?"

Raven's indifferent eyes streamed to the counter near where Beast Boy sat, he and Cyborg making waffles.

"It's closer to you. Why don't you just reach for it?" said Raven impatience seeping through her words.

"Ahhhhh," complained the changeling, in his long groan. "But all you have to do is use your teleke-teleky-tel-teleka- your power that moves stuff!"

"My powers are not a toy," she scowled. "They are ancient skills not to be used lightly."

"I'll tell you what's not gonna be used," said Cyborg, pointing an accused finger at Beast Boy. "There ain't no way, no HOW that that excuse for milk is going into my perfect badder."

"Dude, you've never even tried it!" demanded Beast Boy.

"Never tried crap either. Oh WAIT! They're the same thing!"

"Put in the soy milk!" argued Beast Boy, grabbing the milk, yanking off the lid, and leaping to pour it into the bowl.

"Ah, no you DON'T!" yelled Cyborg, slamming down the younger teen.

Raven rolled her eyes at the boys right before Starfire flew into the kitchen.

"Glorious morning, friends, " she greeted, her emerald eyes scanning the room. "Where is Robin?"

"Probably still in his room, researching his eyes out-I said you're not getting anywhere near the badder!" Cyborg slammed Beast Boy to the floor again at his other attack of pouring in the soy milk.

"It'll taste GROSS without it- hey! If you crack ONE egg into that bowl-!"

"Raven have you seen Robin recently?" she asked the hooded Titan.

"Not since I last healed his wounds that he obviously got from Plasmus," she scoffed, sarcasm heavy in her voice.

"Obviously," grunted Cyborg, joining the sarcasm as he wrestled a green gorilla armed with soy milk.

"Yeah!" piped Beast Boy, transforming back into his original self to speak. "I mean, he clearly fought someone! How stupid does he think we are-uck!" he gasped being choked by a mechanical arm.

"Well, he doesn't underestimate one of us at least," said Raven in her usual impassive tone. Beast Boy shot her a tempered look which she ignored easily.

"I have searched his room to invite him to breakfast. He does not dwell within it!" said Starfire, concern slowly rising in her chest.

"He could be on patrol," suggested Beast Boy in a head-lock.

"Nah, he sneaks out when he thinks we're all asleep," said Cyborg, holding him in place.

"Then comes back exhausted, stressed, and overly tempered," said Raven.

"If he is not on patrol and not in his room then we must locate him!" insisted Starfire.

"Star's got a point. We can't just let him lock himself away. It gets to his head...," said Cyborg.

"Yeah. We'll drag him over to breakfast if we have to. Bet he'd love to taste my SOY waffles!" beamed Beast Boy with an empty container of soy milk.

"NooOoO!" cried Cyborg, dramatically falling to his knees to behold the soy-infested badder. "I can't look!-I can-can't!"

"There, there, Cyborg," comforted Starfire as she patted his back. Cyborg smiled at her in appreciation then rose, mournfully to his fight.

"Alright, let's go get Robby," said Cyborg, he and the other Titans heading out the door.

Beside the basement, where Robin kept Slade's mask, his room, and the information room, which were already checked, the gym was their next guess. It was often that when Robin felt stressed, he tried to burn it all off through physical work.

However, the distressing scene they came upon provoked a piercing gasp from all of them.

There, on the floor, lied their leader, unconscious...sweaty, exhausted, anger still twisted its shadow on his features. Cotton scattered upon the floor. The punching bag, lied on the floor, ripped open, chain ripped off of it.

"What'd the poor punching bag ever do to him?" Beast Boy slightly joked, but grimness owned the way he said it.

Cyborg and Raven looked around, disturbed at the violent remains of the gym.

Starfire floated over to Robin, face slightly white. She bent down and stroked his sweaty bangs away from his face. Her eyes drifted to the punching bag, walked to it and put a hand to her mouth in disbelief of where Robin's sword pierced the shredded bag.

"Robin...never aims for the heart...!"

* * *

**A/N: Sorry about the wait. I was at camp (which was GREAT). Anyways, yeah, another short chapter. They'll probably get longer, but right now I'm just playing with suspense a little.**

**Okay so question: should I work a little on my other fic "Diary of The Lost" or this one? I like this one, but idk how fun it is to read when most of you already know what's going to happen.**

**Review please!**

**-Tabie OUT!**


	4. Twist in Fate

Murky night spilled across the lighted city as Robin leaned against the edge of Wayne Enterprises. He inhaled a helping of air before setting it free back into the midst of the pitch-black sky.

Despite the late hour, the hero bore little exhaustion since he was unconscious throughout the majority of the day.

He blushed at the memory of waking on the couch to be told that he fainted during a battle with the punching bag...or what was left of it. Understandably, his friends lashed out their scoldings of his obsessive, untrustworthy, dishonest behavior. Solemnly, he had brushed off such concerns, mind still snared in this infatuated fascination of Slade's plan. His mind was beyond reasoning, too constrained to understand how deep he was sinking.

"_You can't shut out the world," demanded Raven. _

"_This is the same thing you did when Slade was alive!" supported Cyborg._

"_Is it Slade? Do you still see Slade?" Beast Boy asked, fear yanking on his heart._

"_X'hal! Please! Robin! Are you seeing the Slade hallucinations again!?"_

"_No way! My scanners said there's no more dust! He's not-!"_

"_Your scanners did not identify it immediately before!" argued Starfire to the cyborg._

"_Yeah," agreed Beast Boy. "Maybe you can't find anything wr-"_

"_Let's stop relying completely on technology and actually ask Robin," lectured Raven._

_Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy stopped their disagreements to look at the silent leader sitting still on the couch. His arm rested lazily on the armchair, stare not completely on the Titans in front of him._

"_Robin," said Raven, "are you still seeing hallucinations of Slade?"_

_A silence followed before the teen took a deep breath and turned to them._

"_No."_

Robin sighed at the guilt. This wasn't their problem. This wasn't their battle to pay the scars. His conscience practically screamed at him to tell his friends, but fear ignored such an impulse. Was he so afraid of risking their lives for his own problems or had he grown so obsessed with catching Slade that he couldn't let anyone intervene?

These demanding moral questionsshould have been scratching through his mind, ripping a hole through his obsession of Slade to see the destruction of his own secrets. Unfortunately, no questions had room to cross his mind for his thoughts were too consumed with one monster, one dark shadow: Slade.

Fears fogged his mind of the man and his intentions. Slade wanted an apprentice again, _him _as his apprentice. Accepting such news required too much energy for him to acknowledge his friends' words of reason. They tried to warn him how pushing them away, how lying, had punished him in the past. Red X, his apprenticeship, the dust, they had all been his downfall because he refused to trust his friends. They had pointed this out many times, but Robin's mind had hardened too much. Stubborn fear stiffened it beyond mending.

The apprehension of Slade's return tightened a deathly hold on Robin's mind like a python grasping onto its prey. It squeezed all of the sensibility out of him like breath wheezes out in a deep clutch. Every sense of reality faded away as his only focus centered at Slade's capture.

He wouldn't let Slade entrap him back into that bitter world of criminality. He wouldn't let the man pull out the darker self that he buried beneath all of his heroic work. He wouldn't let that dark shadow engulf him and deform into the demon he felt tearing its way out of his soul. That sinister demon awaited for Slade to release it, to strengthen it, take control of The Boy Wonder. He wouldn't let Slade control him again. He couldn't—for if he did, Robin might not make it out again. That bird might be slaughtered, a vicious scavenger left in its remains of heroic feathers.

Robin stiffened at such compelling thoughts tumbling through his free space of mind. He shook his head, shooing away such frights. His eyes returned to his night-vision binoculars to find a figure racing down the street on a motorcycle, dozens of police cars trailing it like ants to a picnic. Robin's attention expanded as he closed in his vision to find the figure on the motorcycle to be a Sladebot.

He got up himself immediately, almost ready to join the chase until a thought blocked him: What if the Titans were alerted and joined the chase!

Even before Robin could give it a second thought, he yanked out his communicator and disabled the alert system to the tower. His masked eyes narrowed. This was his battle, his price to pay if he made mistakes.

He pressed a signal on his belt that automatically drove his R-cycle to him. He leaped from the building, wind hitting his face, landed on the seat of his ride, strapped on the helmet and smiled victoriously as the engine revved up into gear. He and Slade were going to settle this tonight!

-Slade's layer-

Darkness dispersed throughout the metal warehouse. Gears collided each other, their turning noises creating a symphony of industrial music. Deep within this eerie, mechanical kingdom flickered a light above two figures. One crouched to the floor, fiddling with a mechanism while the other stared at the screens of the city.

"It should only be a few more parts until it's complete," said the crouching man, screwing together an electric pole to an adjacent one.

Slade smiled at that. Everything was fitting according to plan.

A Sladebot entered to the flickering light, handing his creator the stolen disk. Slade accepted it, holding it thoughtfully before handing it to the smaller man.

"Thank you, my good robot," said Time Warp to the Sladebot.

Slade rolled his eye at that. _Idiot. _The sooner this contraption was finished, the sooner he could be done with this man. Time Warp talked far too much for the his liking and got a bit too cocky as well. Granted, Robin was extremely cocky, but the boy had the strength to support such confidence. Time Warp, on the other hand, had only the toy gadgets as his protection in a fight. Just as pathetic as Gizmo.

"A few pieces of technology. Valuable in the past, priceless in the future," mused Time Warp, hot-wiring two cords. "The Titans will pay for my previous defeat, pay for meddling with dimensions, pay for all those-"

Slade rose his hand to silence him. "Here that?" asked the masked assassin in an almost amused tone.

Time Warp shut his mouth to hear the noise, ears growing more alert. His stare lifted to the vents on the ceiling where the noise of movement had halted. The man's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"It appears you have need of an exterminator," commented Time Warp, mistakenly taking the situation lightly.

"Now, we wouldn't want to be rude to our guest," said Slade aloud, the statement more directed to the ceiling than to Warp.

Suddenly, Slade drew out his gun and started firing at the vents in a rapid action. Time Warp grasped his ears while the gun continued to spit out bullets like watermelon seeds. Pounding hits stabbed their way into the vent above, weakening it ruthlessly. It detached from the ceiling and fell to the floor, the intruder, rolling out of it and onto his feet.

"Robin," greeted Slade, "Pleasure of you to drop in...literally, I might add."

"Cut the greetings, Slade," yelled Robin, slicing his hand through the air. "Why do you need that disk?"

"Curious, aren't you?" chuckled a voice behind him. Robin twirled around, surprise evident on his face to see the man who spoke.

"Time Warp?" asked Robin, mentally beating himself up for not recognizing his presence earlier. "What are you doing here?"

"I think the question is: what are you doing here?" questioned Time Warp, his voice sharp and impatient. "You and the Titans may have stopped me once, but-"

"Temper, Time Warp," scolded Slade, tolerance better maintained by the taller man as he put his hand upon Robin's shoulder. "My apprentice is more than welcome to ask what he may."

"I'm_ not_ your apprentice!" yelled Robin, pushing off Slade's hand from his shoulders as he backed away in a defensive stance. "Saying it over and over again won't change that!"

"How right you are," agreed Slade, snapping his fingers and making a couple dozen Sladebots fall from their positions above. Surrounded by his robotic army, the man continued. "Action is what achieves the change, isn't it?"

Robin growled as he charged the opponents, throwing out his staff into the heat of battle. He flipped through the robots, slashing attacks while movements flashed like lightning. Electric disks cut the air as they hit their targets, shocking them to the floor. Birdarangs soared at them, cutting off several limbs in just one flight.

Yet, the most deadly attacks released were from the furious, fast-moving staff.

The power flowing through its touch extended from all of Robin's raw energy in his attacks. His strength and rage distributed throughout the weapon, making its attacks all the more lethal. As he flew though the attack, his staff met all of the robots, knocking all of their remains to the floor. One robot tried to jump him, but the young hero ducked, and stabbed his weapon into its stomach. When pulling it out, two other robots charged him. Even before they could touch him, he slipped underneath the stabbed robot's legs, causing the stabbed robot to fall upon the two others. Once upon them, Robin, yanked out his staff, almost as soon as he threw down another gadget, freezing the Sladebots into a block of ice.

Robin spun around aggressively, nose flaring and eyes wide, ready for an attack...only to find he had dismantled all of the threats.

A slow and steady applause tore Robin out of his battle and back into reality. His head shot to Slade, leaning against the wall and clapping in sick amusement.

"Well done," praised the man. "Honestly, I'm proud, astonished even, that you could manage to fight with such deathly tactics, seeing as that you had little training in killing."

The teen's anger still held a firm expression on his face, but somehow also revealed a look of confusion.

Noticing the bewilderment on Robin's face, Slade gladly elaborated. "Look around, Robin," prodded Slade, hand gesturing out to the remains of Sladebots on the floor. "Pure ferocity, vicious onslaught... please, somehow tell me you've never learned how to do this before." The Titan's face grew pale.

"No?" Slade walked closer to him. "Then just imagine, just attempt to envision, what I can do with such raw, natural brutality enforced into my training..."

Robin roared out a furious yell, throwing his staff at Slade. The man caught it, inches away from his face, looked at it then at the infuriated hero glaring at him.

"Such temper, such power and violence," taunted Slade, dropping the staff, "...There's a good little assassin..."

Enraged, Robin screamed a war cry as he charged the man, but was cut short, shot unconscious to the floor. Time Warp lowered his fired ray and looked at the fallen Titan.

"I know it seems bad now," muttered Slade to the fallen form. "But trust me. You'll _learn_ to _like _it."

-Titans Tower-

Shadows painted the thick gray walls, moon peeking through the large windows of the tower. Starfire floated down the halls, cautious not to disturb the other's sleep. She lit a small starbolt in her hand to guide her through the murky dark. She stopped in front of Robin's room, quietly knocking on the door.

"Robin? It is I, Starfire. Please, if you are there, approve my intrusion," she said in that soft tone of hers. She waited a few seconds, concerned that no answer came with her request.

"Robin?" She asked again, this time opening the door to find the room abandoned. She sighed at the lack of company. She turned on the lights and landed slowly to her feet, strolling through the dwelling. The pictures of Jump City's villains decorated the wall, making the Tamarannian feel somewhat frightened by so many threatening faces.

Starfire noticed a few birdarangs cutting into a picture of Slade on the wall. She pulled out one birdarang and stared at it fondly. "Oh, Robin," she sighed to herself. "What is happening to you?"

As if to answer her own question she turned to his table, where his work lied. She walked to it, carefully, feeling guilty for prying. Picking up a folder, she opened it gently alarmed to find many of Slade's previous locations, pictures, and article clippings.

Horrified, she forced herself in a frantic curiosity to scavenge within the folder. On the maps, red marker circled several places. Some areas were scribbled off furiously, a written note beside it saying 'clear'. Other areas of writing and tracing grew to exhibit more scribbles, suggesting his sanity drifting away. Article clippings had highlighted and underlined markings on them. A few sentences were circled with the words 'False information', written beside them. There were a lot of those. The press didn't know Slade like Robin did, but some interesting theories still stood within them.

Starfire put down the folder, distraught by all of the pressure cracking Robin. She was about to leave until a recording device hooked her attention. She knew that when a mystery was nagging Robin too much he sometimes recorded his thoughts and findings with it.

"Star," she heard behind her by the cyborg teen, he and the other two Titans beside him. "You okay, girl?"

"I am...concerned for Robin," she answered, worry clear in her voice. "I apologize. Have I woken you from your rest?"

"Yeah...," moaned Beast Boy, rubbing his eye, instantly grunting as Raven slapped the backside of his head.

"I felt a disturbance," explained Raven, taking a step closer to the alien. "I thought it might be Robin's emotions so I got the others up."

"Oh," said Starfire, sadly. "Perhaps it was my emotions. I am... disturbed at the suggestive obsession Robin is returning into over Slade." She picked up the recording device and stroked it gently. "Such determination has not proven helpful for him in the past."

"Dude has a problem," moaned Cyborg, resting a supportive hand on Starfire's strong shoulder. "Even before the dust got in his system."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," demanded Beast Boy, waving his hands in a dramatic manner. "Hold up here, Cy. You said you couldn't find anymore dust in Rob. Are you saying he's seriously seeing Slade again?"

"No!" insisted Cyborg. "It's gone. I made sure of that the first time!"

"Maybe so," said Raven, putting a dubious finger to her chin. "But something has gotten him reckless and paranoid. The only question is: what?"

"I...believe I may be of assistance," offered Starfire, unsure of her own suggestion. She held out the recording device. "This may aid in our understanding..."

"Rob really must be out of it. He doesn't usually leave this lying out," said Cyborg in disbelief. "Guy really likes his privacy..."

"Then we should respect it," defended Raven, taking it away from Starfire carefully.

"Can we afford to?" asked Beast Boy before Raven could place the gadget back on the table. "I mean, we've had to pry a bit in the past to save him from his own downfall."

There was a moment of silence between the team as they debated which held greater value: Robin's privacy or his welfare. It wasn't an easy answer to decide, but it was obvious. Raven sighed in defeat.

She pressed 'play'.

"_7:30 am. I saw Slade. He's real this time. No hallucination. I'm sure of it this time. Can't tell Titans. Wouldn't believe me. This is all on me. Currently studying my files on him. Not finding much I didn't already know. Need to find a clue."_

"_1:34 am. No luck in my files. Checking old haunt. Nothing so far. Have to stay on alert."_

"_5:46 am. No luck in the haunt. Keeping an eye on Cinderblock. He's in custody...so the report says. I'm checking there tonight."_

"_11:55 pm. Cinderblock's locked up tight in the cell. Going on patrol. Where there's trouble, Slade's not far behind."_

"_3:45 am. Suspicious looking guy. I'm following him."_

"_4:01 am. He swore he didn't know anything. Can't say I believe him. Can't trust anyone. But he can't fight well enough to work for Slade. The psychopath only hires the strong. The weak would spill secrets."_

"_12:30 pm. My reflexes need improvement. Going to go work out."_

"_6:30 pm. Fell unconscious, darn it! Titans found me in the gym. Too tired to keep 'em off my trail, but I have to do it. This is my war. Not theirs._

"_12:25 am. Going on patrol. I'm rested better now. Caught an hour or two of sleep."_

The gadget stopped rolling. Deathly silence slithered into the room. Cyborg was rubbing his temple in frustration. Raven struggled to tame her own concern, fear, and anger. Beast Boy shook his head in disbelief. Starfire's mouth was smeared with her own hand as if to hold back the cries.

He was seeing Slade again-no, worse- he was falling int that dangerous obsession with the man again! He had attacked an innocent bystander, convinced he worked for Slade! He had done that once before when they were looking for the croniton detonator. Yet, the Titans were able to stop him before. None of them had restrained him all of these nights on the street. How many others did he hurt?

He cracked. Restless nights, constant research, abusive training, pushing away his friends. They had all seen this before. They had seen his own mania of the man consume him into a dark world of hatred and oblivion. They had seen this behavior tear him apart from the inside out.

"What do we do?" asked Beast Boy, helplessly. Starfire grasped her folded arms in pain of misery. Raven put down the device, her eyes shut, struggling to maintain her emotions.

"We go after him," said Cyborg with a determined expression.

Having that confidence, the Titans slowly left the room, preparing a search party over Jump. Starfire followed, slowly, a dark shadow of worry upon her bowed head.

"Hey Star," eased Beast Boy, placing a hand on the princess's shoulder, "I'm sure Rob's alright. What's the worst that could happen?"

-Slade's layer-

A dim light pressed masked eyes of the hero. It pulled him to the surface of reality and out of the depths of drowning unconsciousness and engulfing darkness. Eyes slowly fluttered open. Memory slowly clicked into place as Robin recalled his fight. According to instinct, he tried to push himself to a sudden stance, but ropes restricted his movement. He fought back the tight binding, flustered to feel a pole between him and his bound arms.

"Awake, I see," came a familiar voice dwelling in the captivating shadows.

Robin snorted in response. He darted his eyes around for the threat. The only amount of rare light shielded Robin from uncertainty.

"Not feeling talkative, Robin? Pity...all I wanted to do was talk." Robin perked his ears at the sound of any footsteps, cluing him into where Slade might be.

"You're the last person I'd want to talk to," snarled Robin. The teen reconsidered his retort. Perhaps if he got Slade to talk, he could estimate the location of the voice, thus the location of Slade. So he provoked a conversation from his hesitant mouth. "Still...some people might. Apparently Time Warp does. Care to explain your little deal with him there?"

"Curious, aren't you...," mocked Slade in a demeaning manner. Robin grimaced at the way he said it. "Good," continued Slade. "There's another attribute we share. I've always been a bit curious as well. Take for instance your previous apprenticeship to me. I was always curious about some matters ...concerning you..."

Robin stiffened in a cautious fear.

"Unfortunately, many of those questions remained unanswered." Slade revealed himself into the light, his dangerous eye centered on the boy. It was then that Robin regretted his desire to see Slade. The man bent down to the sitting Titan, the full masked face tilted in consideration. "I've always wondered..._**who is the boy behind the mask...?**_"

Hidden eyes widened in a sudden shock of alarm. His face went pale. Breath caught in his mouth like clog in the drain. A shy drop of sweat glazed his face.

A hand stretched out slowly, taunting the tied bird.

"_**NO!**_" Robin yelled, squirming closer to the pole. He swat out his legs, madly. "**YOU CAN'T, SLADE! **_**PLEASE! **_**STOP! **S-top! **STOP!** I WON'T! YOU CAN'T! **NO!**"

The hand pushed pass the useless attacks and reached the face. Instead of the mask, the hand went under the chin, tilting it upward. Robin thrust his head out of grasp, but Slade wasn't going to have that. This time he grasped the cheeks and forced the masked face closer to his own.

Furiously, Robin shifted his hip and kicked near Slade's face. The mercenary caught it barely in time and forced it down, along with his other leg. The man's kneeling knees pinned down Robin's ankles, restraining the legs from moving.

Robin fretted, finding himself defenseless. He tried to shake the hand off of his face, but the hold was too tight. He pulled on the ropes restricting his hands until they bled, raw of skin. The teen grunted in an ugly mixture of both frustration and desperation. He grunted. One grunt came out more of a cry. Perhaps it was, not that the hero cared at this point. The only weapon he could actually have a hope of using at this point was reason.

"S-Slade, please- don't. Don't. Don't, don't, don't!" he pleaded. "Please, Slade. I haven't taken this off in years-not once. Please, who's behind he mask isn't your apprentice!"

This seemed to catch Slade's interest. The man tilted the teen's face, observing his mixing expressions of fright.

" No?" questioned Slade in an amused tone. "Tell me then: who is the boy behind the mask?"

Robin bit his lip. This was a bit of a personal issue. Explaining it to Slade would be revealing a bit of his own personal mask of emotion. However, it was his only chance to protect Bruce, Alfred, Barbara...his only chance to feel safe. He had to word this the right.

It was like meddling with a bomb. He had to throw it as protection, but it could also catch him in the blow. It could expose a weakness that his enemy could exploit. Caution guarded his mouth as he forced the words out from his heart, filtered through his mind, and spilled through his lips.

"T-the boy behind the m-mask, he isn't m-me. Not-not anymore. I-I gave him up a long time ago, wh-when I became Robin full-time...with the Titans. M-my identity is just-just for the media...please." His shoulders began to shutter infuriated that he had been forced to unlock his heart. "If you have ANY sliver of respect for me, you'll LEAVE. THE. MASK. **ON!**"

Maybe it was the weak state Robin was in that he thought he saw consideration in the man's eye. It almost looked...apologetic...for something he was about to do...?

"Slade...," he whispered between his grasped cheeks. "Don't..." The hand stretched out again. Robin's eyes bulged open again. "Slade, NO!" The tip of his mask was grabbed. "STOP, PLEASE! **PLEASE! Slade, **_**PLEASE**_**! Plea-!**"

In one sudden pull, it was pulled off of his face.

Dick gasped as if he had been stabbed and slammed his eyes shut. Slade observed his new discovery a bit, trying to recall where he had seen that face before. It was on the top of his tongue, but he couldn't quite place the name. Maybe if he saw the color of the eyes...

"Open your eyes,"ordered Slade. Eyes tightening tighter was Dick's response. "Open them now!"

"Make me!" shouted the teen.

"A challenge, hm?" Slade used his free hand to punch Dick's stomach. He gasped in pain but locked his eyes shut. "Open your eyes!"

"I WON'T! You have NO right! NONE!" He tried to free his limbs, but remained with-strained.

"I have every right!" yelled Slade, a slap meeting the youth's face. "Don't you _dare_ deny-!"

"SHUDDUP!" screamed the yelling child. Another slap.

"Now you listen and listen well-!" threatened Slade to the eye-shut teen. "You are completely under my power. Whether or not you open your eyes, I will discover your identity. I can scan your finger print, test your _blood. _Let's hope it doesn't come to that last option," he said as a side-note. Robin only snorted. "Either way, I will know who you are, and let me promise you something: If I am forced to find your identity, I _will_ hurt _every... last ...person_ connected to your past."

It took a minute for the threat to fully sink into Dick's comprehension, but once it did, the full resentment flooded his veins. Eyes still shut, Dick spat out venom filled words. "You-! You-you vile, twisted-!"

"I wouldn't finish that statement if I were you," advised Slade with another slap. "Now, your eyes, if you'd please...your eyes..."

Dick shot up his head, giving Slade his eyes, but filling them with hatred. Those crystal orbs of the deepest blue glared at the man in front of him. They were blood-shot red from the stress and lack of sleep, but the purest blue glowed through that, practically shining. Those eyes weren't easy to forget,...and Slade never forgets.

"Dick Grayson," said Slade more to himself than in addressing the youth in front of him. The man looked down at the younger one, letting the truth settle in his mind. "I know your story." Dick's glare softened in fright as the villain continued. "Tragic one, too. Skilled-quite skilled, might I add- acrobat. His parents die from a trapeze fall. Ropes cut by-"

"Stop," pleaded Dick. "You've already humiliated me enough. You already stole the truth I kept from my own FRIENDS! Just STOP! You've done enough. I've been through enough! Just **STOP IT!**"

Slade released Dick's head and rose to a stance, eye still on Dick. So he did respect him.

"A young orphan acrobat...Yes,..yes that will work just fine," said Slade.

"Work?" asked Dick, his head tilted, naked eyes widening. "Work for what? For what!? Slade! What are you planning!?"

Slade smiled cruelly beneath his mask. "Come now, Robin. You're the detective here. Put those skills to use. Time Warp, the apprenticeship, your identity, your past...surely you can deduce my intentions..."

Robin stopped, looked to the ground, and actually considered the clues._ Time Warp working with Slade, _thought Robin. _He wants to change history...the past, probably. What past though...? My identity. He wanted to know that. And my past, he shoved that into my face. He...no. No. no, no, no, no, NO, NO! __**NO!**_

"You...wouldn't," gasped Robin, shaking his head slowly. "You...not my past...you wouldn't...you can't!" His head shook at a much faster pace now.

Slade smirked beneath his mask. "Oh, I would, my dear boy. I will, in fact, and you will grow under _my_ care..."

"No, no, please, Slade...p-please! _**NO! N-NO, please!**_" Dick was thrashing, desperately. "Please, Slade, I-!" Dick stopped, his eyes shooting back and forth, debating about what he was about to say. "I-I'll be your apprentice! I'll be your apprentice! Just-please, leave my memories alone! Leave my past alone! Slade-**please!**" He was shaking now, screaming now. "Don't erase my memories! **Please, don't erase my past!**"

Slade bent down to his knee, and looked Robin in those vibrant, blue eyes. "No, Robin. Morals Batman has implanted in your head must be corrected. They can only truly be corrected if they are erased." Dick shook his head, wording 'please,' but no voice could fight through his throat. "I intend to erase them."

"Slade-!" he begged through the sobs. "**P-Please-!**"

"Dick," he said gently, patting his cheek, "don't worry. In a few days, it will all be better. Your whole life will be better."

"No...," choked Robin as a scented cloth smeared his mouth. He struggled against its aroma, but soon found himself drifting back into the abyss of darkness.

A twist in fate was coming...

* * *

**A/N: School's back :p Summer is always too short! WHY! (sigh) anywho! Fun chapter for me! I love writing Slade and Robin's interactions! I'd like to thank you all for the reviews! I luv reading them! :3 I would like to point out that the idea of Robin offering himself up as an apprentice instead of Slade changing his past belongs to****ToneOfEchoes****! So full credit goes there :) Thanks for the idea!**

**Review means love in Tabiebarian. **

**-Tabie **_**OUT**_**!**


	5. Concerns Planted

"Any sign of him yet?" asked Cyborg, hunched over the Titans' computer. It was two in the morning and no clues to Robin's location were discovered in the heavy weight of night.

"I got nothing, dude."

"None..."

"I...have not located any signs of which you speak..."

Cyborg sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. The screen light abused his red-shot eye, as he stared at it, excessively. Losing Robin while his obsession with Slade was controlling him...they had gone through this before. The first time, they found him black-mailed into an apprenticeship. The second time, they found him beaten and bruised, hallucinations plaguing his mind. Cyborg dreaded to think what Robin had gotten himself into this time.

It was like any amount of sensibility crushed beneath the addiction of stopping the villain. Such enslaving determination wrapped around him tightly. He squirmed against its clutch, withering in madness while all reality drained out of his system. He couldn't think straight, couldn't fight with morals. It blocked his mind like a rain cloud blocking the sun, producing a dangerous lightning storm that's damage could only be seen until the clouds vanished.

Suddenly Cyborg was dismissed from his thoughts as the automatic doors opened. Slow, dragging footsteps towed themselves down the dark hallway, like an eerie ghost, belonging to the night. The oldest Titan turned around to see their burdened leader break out of the protective shadows. His body screamed 'exhausted' and 'hurt' just by looking at him. Yet he looked far from weak. Some tenacious spirit seemed to energize him with inner, fiery valor founded with a firm motivation.

"Robin!" he exclaimed, quickly turning to the computer to contact the others. "Yo, Rob's back! Get your butt's over here now!"As quickly as he told the team, he rushed to Robin, who hardly seemed to notice his presence at all.

"Hey, hold up there," said Cyborg, running beside him. "Where the HECK were you?"

"Not important," answered Robin, squinting his masked eyes in solemn, persistence. "I've got work to do."

"Ah, no you don't!" insisted Cyborg, grabbing his cape. The robotic teen couldn't finish his words, for at the touch of the cape, Robin back-flipped, releasing the hold on him.

"Don't hold me back!" he yelled, pointing a hand at him in resentment.

"Man, you're crazier than I thought," accused Cyborg, thrusting his own hands in the air. "You're seeing Slade again, _and_ you're super paranoid!"

A few days ago, if Robin was accused of seeing Slade, he would have lied, denying it. He had decided that the Titans shouldn't know about the man's existence. He didn't want them to get hurt again. And, although he was still concerned with his friends' safety, he knew that he couldn't focus on lying anymore. No, all of his dedication, his mind his _soul_ had to be enforced in stopping Slade from revising his past. If the criminal did that, Robin's dark, hidden side would be exposed-enhanced, even- to a potential he feared exhibiting.

"He's real," screamed Robin, anger twisting his face. "I don't care if you believe me or not. Think I'm _crazy_ for all I care! Just leave me alone!"

"Not...gonna...happen," argued Cyborg, bending down to show Robin the confidence in his chest-nut brown eye.

"You gonna stop me, tin-man?" Robin asked in a low growl, a sinister, obscure smile cutting through his face as he leaned closer Cyborg's face. Cyborg's eye narrowed, perceiving the threat.

"ROBIN!" yelled a familiar female voice. The purest, innocent-cored tone cut the aggressive tension between the two boys like a two-edged sword. Robin pulled the reigns of his own temper as his menacing stare stubbornly turned to see the other three Titans in front of him.

"You look horrible...," gasped Raven. She observed the shattered remains of the Robin they knew and saw someone who smothered his fear with an abundant amount of anger and determination.

The teen grimaced. He knew he wasn't in his best shape; exhausted, his wrists were still bleeding and a slap mark owned his face. He was just thankful that Slade had left his mask beside him when he awoke. He did NOT want the Titans to see how red is overly-worked eyes were.

"What happened...?" said Beast Boy, a hesitance clasping his breath as if to consider wanting to actually know the answer to his own question.

"I'll tell you what happened!" yelled Cyborg. "That dust's still in his system! It's tear'n him apart!"

"Obviously. Since you're still seeing Slade," considered Raven. "Robin, we have to check for anymore dust."

"Don't have time," retorted Robin, trying to walk past Cyborg and to his room, but Beast Boy ran into his path.

"Let me guess. This 'Slade' is planting three bombs around the city. And you're the only one who can 'see' him so you're the only one who can stop hi-!"

Robin slammed Beast Boy into the wall, holding a grip on his throat. "Don't you DARE mock me!" he roared, viciously. The teen squirmed under his clutches, struggling to intake air.

"Stop!" yelled Raven using her powers to restrain Robin. Beast Boy weakly fell to the floor, struggling to collect his lost breath.

"He attacked me!" wheezed the changling. "He actually _attacked_ me!"

"Rob, cool it. Remember, it's just like before. None of it's real. It's all in your head," said Cyborg, cautiously noting how severe Robin's 'condition' was.

"Let me go!" screamed Robin, thrashing his legs wildly. "Let GO!"

"Please, Robin," begged Starfire, her voice shaking and eyes filling with fresh tears.

"I need to stop him! I need to stop Slade!"

"Careful, Robin," eased Raven. "We just want to help. We don't want to hurt you..."

"Hurt me...?" Robin almost scoffed, a wicked, atrocious laugh flowed through his jaunty mouth. The Titans stiffened in fear at the similarity between Robin's and Slade's laugh. "Just try," he yelled before throwing down a disk from his belt.

The whole room went bright, blinding all of the Titans. Unable to see, Raven's mystical hold on Robin released. When the light dissipated, Raven found a rope tied around her mouth to keep her from casting anymore spells. Beast Boy was knocked to the floor with a birdarang before he could even attempt to change into an animal. Cyborg was hit with the staff, knocking him to his knees.

Robin turned his cold shoulder to his fallen team, his masked eyes glaring at them spitefully. "I'm going to stop him," said Robin, flatly as his body shifted away from them. "Just stay out of my way."

He walked toward hall, but was distraught to find a starbolt aiming at him.

"Robin," she said through the bitter tears, "Please, do not move."

"Star,..." he warned, taking out his staff, "...I need you to move."

"I can-cannot, I am sorry. It is for your own good that you must be stopped," she said dismally.

His face darkened in acceptance of her threat. He was going to have to take her out, and not on a date. "Sorry, Star. I really am," he said, tightening his grip on the favored weapon. Just as he was ready to strike, a sudden blast of blue light knocked him out, unconscious.

Starfire gasped to see Cyborg rise slowly, putting away his sonic cannon.

"Booya," he sighed sadly.

Robin's eyes twitched as the darkness, once again, engulfed him like prey to a monster of the sea.

-Slade-

A large screen displayed the action, the man sitting in front of it snickering at the show. Most of the cameras Terra installed had been removed. Lucky for Slade, some still remained hidden. He rewound the fight sequence, zooming in upon the bird's vicious attacks. The swift, brutal movements against his friends verified the ruthless potential in him.

The masked villain considered his previous apprenticeship with the boy. During that, Robin had been extremely reluctant to fight his friend. It wasn't until Slade pressed the trigger that Robin even shot the thermal blaster.

None of that mercy was displayed now. No, his fear of the transformed destiny blocked any compassion once given before. That, combined with his obsession of Slade, freed the inner demon of his, born when his parents died.

_Ah, yes, _thought Slade, putting a finger to his chin in thought. _His parents' death. A perfect opportunity to claim the lost, little bird before the bat does. _Indeed it was the perfect time for such an action. His parents, some of the best acrobats in the world, had already trained him at that point. As proud as Slade was of his own fighting tactics, he would truthfully admit that Robin was the better acrobat, a skill that would compliment his agility in the assassin career.

He'd done his research on the young acrobat. Truthfully, it was difficult to obtain such deep information about him before he became ward to Bruce Wayne. His parents seemed to be very protective, not that he could blame them. Slade was getting ready to kidnap their son, after all. Nonetheless, Slade had found a good amount of facts on Dick Grayson, and he was _very_ impressed. Quadrupedal flips before the age of six was quite an accomplishment. It appeared that the child had taken advantage of all of the various available in the circus. Animal tamer, archer, black-belt, weight-lifter, flame master, he had gained all of these abilities within the small space of his beginning life. If he could adapt so quickly to each of those separate skills, the possibilities for further lessons were endless.

The single eye returned to the screen. It Robin unconscious and tied to a medical bed within the Titans Tower. Slade shook his head in amused pity. _A poor way of spending your limited days as a Titan. _He leaned back, a wicked smile creeping on his face, beneath the mask.

"Tick-tock, Robin. Time's running out."

-Starfire-

It had been a whole day since Robin had attacked them, and needless to say, he wasn't responding well to his new room. They had strapped his arms and legs to the bed just as they had done during his last sighting of Slade. They tried to feed him, but he refused, stubbornly. They tried to make him see that it was only the dust's effects, but he refused to listen. He had been furious and rambunctious at first, just like the night before, but as the day drew on, his temper lost energy. Granted, he was still stubborn and insistent that they release him, but his tactic in getting them to became far more pleasant than his previous approach.

"_Look, I'm __not__ hallucinating," he insisted to the four Titans in front of him."I know I was the first time around, but it's different now! I__ saw__ him in the light. I wasn't able to do that before!"_

"_Maybe your condition's gone so haywire you're past just seeing him in the dark," suggested Cyborg, voice hard, not listening to reason._

"_I considered that!" said Robin. "That's why I let you guys check my system. And what did you see? No dust."_

"_Slade's dead, Robin," replied the Goth. "He fell in lava. People don't survive things like that."_

"_Slade does," said Robin stubbornly. "You have to believe me. Please. I don't have time to-"_

"_You gotta get this straight," demanded Beast Boy. "Slade is dead. If you're still seeing him, then the dust-"_

"_Does the dust make me see Time Warp too?!" yelled Robin._

_This hooked the Titans' attention. They looked at him with shock coring their eyes, curiosity soon replacing it._

"_You see the Time Warp?" asked Starfire hesitantly._

_Robin nodded solemnly, almost seeming to despise letting that information loose. "He's working with Slade."_

_Cyborg shook his head in confusion. "None of this makes sense," he muttered. "If Slade really __is__ alive, how come he's only seeing you?"_

"_He's messing with me," answered Robin, quietly. _

_There was a brief silence, awkwardly dwelling within the hospital room. Raven broke it like a shatter of glass. "The __dust__ is messing with you, Robin. I don't know why you're seeing Time Warp as well, but I know this isn't healthy," she said as she and the other three Titans turned to the door. _

"_Wait! NO! I'm not crazy! Let me out! Guys! GUYS!"_

The memory drifted away in Starfire's mind like sand in the sea. She sadly floated to the medical room, a tray of pizza in her hands. The Titans thought that sending a friend who held a closer place in his heart would help convince him to eat. Starfire, joyfully agreed. She wasn't sure if Robin really was seeing hallucinations or not, but she knew he could not go on like this. Starving himself because he was upset was not the solution! She had to be the calm one, the one to feed him logic that he rejected...or just feed him food at least.

However, calm was far from her expression when she opened the door. A gasp cut her throat, the tray of pizza dropping to the floor with a loud sound.

"ROBIN!" she shrieked, rushing beside him. He shook, dramatically, eyes wide and mouth grunting as if in pain. She clasped her mouth, holding back a cry. Was he going through a panic attack!? Was this some unknown earth condition she did not know? _Oh, Robin!_

She threw out her communicator. "Friends, please!" she pleaded. "Robin is thrusting, madly. I know not how to cure him! Hurry, PLEASE!"

"Robin," she sobbed, her piercing cry sounding through the room. "Please, inform me how to treat you! PLEASE!" Tears invaded her emerald eyes, running through her thick eye-lashes.

"The straps...!" he gasped, hoarsely.

Without a second thought, she blasted off the straps with her starbolts. "Fear not, Robin! I will rid you of the straps that bind you!" When she reached the last strap, she found herself instantly pinned against the wall, not in a manner that was meant to hurt her, merely restrain her. Her shocked eyes cautiously looked at the enforcer: Robin.

"You-you were not ill?" she asked weakly a betrayed look on her face. Her hands were still shaking as they fastened to the wall by Robin's own hands.

"I'm sorry, Star," he said, his whole demeanor begging forgiveness as guilt infected his heart. "Really, I am. It was the only way. Believe me, Slade's real, and I _**need**_ to stop him. You have no idea." His masked eyes softened in an almost charming way. "Please, don't involve yourself in this battle. I don't want you hurt like before."

Just as soon as she was released, Robin ran to the window, crashing through it. Starfire leaped upward to follow his lead, but Robin threw back an explosive disk, blowing up the entire wall, and catching Starfire in the debris.

"No! Robin!" she screamed, flying out of the remains and over to the edge of the blown-up wall. Her frantic eyes darted around the eerie night, but only the moon remained visible. "Robin!" she screamed again, but cries cascaded through her shout and she slowly fell to the floor. Only the hushing, cool, ocean breeze could soothe her distress.

"Star!" yelled Cyborg bursting through the door. "What's the-!" His words fell short at the sight of the blasted wall, its leftover pieces falling down, slowly. More importantly, the bed where Robin had previously lied was empty.

Starfire clutched her own arms to comfort herself. Thick, wild layers of tears glazed her vibrant summer-green eyes, soon rushing down tan cheeks, quivering sobs scratching her throat. She leaned herself near the edge of the tower, her falling tears joining the ocean below. "Oh, Robin," she cried. "Where have you gone?"

* * *

**A/N: Y'know what's not fun? Getting stitches. :p**

**Robin: Yet you seem fine with getting me beat up in your stories.**

**Me: You handle pain better than I do.**

**Anyways, ignore Robin. So it's official. Robin admit his confrontation of Slade to the Titans, and they over-react. Next chapter: BATMAN! Dun dun! Thanks for all of the reviews! :D**

**Remember to drop off a word! Reviews are my candy!**

**-Tabie Out! **


	6. Batman vs Slade

The lights of the atmosphere blared through the dreary, frightening night in Gotham City. Other cities radiated with a type of beauty at night. Their lights displayed the energetic town, advertisements and streetlamps practically imploring attention. Young couples ran through the streets, romantically. Friends explored what the city offered for their easily obtained amusement.

Gotham's lights did not invite such enthusiasm. Perhaps to a naïve outsider, it was just like any other town- buildings touching the sky, traffic spread across the streets for miles, horns shouting their frustration. However, the dark compass hid an evil much more atrocious than tourists could ever attempt to comprehend in their ignorant minds. Rather than pigeons, the creeping night held burglars. Shadows housed dangerous criminals of various sorts. The lights did not glow with the magnificent glory other towns had. Its glow resembled more of one a jack-o-lantern would posses, constant and chillingly still, awaiting for a crime to meet it. It was not the light that slaughtered darkness, but one that offered riches to what dwelt in them...thus inviting danger to steal it.

The only light that extended a ray of hope to any desperate Gothamite was the bat-signal, something alerted that very night.

Guards were disarmed and unconscious on the floor as Slade strolled through the building. Indifferently, the man packed away his neutralizer in his belt. Despite popular belief, Slade didn't kill all who stood in his way. _Those_ people were saved for a higher price...or a higher hatred. He walked past the guards on the floor as he reached the chip he came to claim. His hand reached out for the elevating prize, but a low voice behind him interrupted the action.

"A bit far from Jump City...," said Batman, behind Slade, departing from his fellow shadows.

A soft, amused smile split Slade's face at the expected visit. He turned around and observed the bat. He was just as reputation had described- tall, dark, a cape that stroked the floor as if to consume its coldness. His cape practically absorbed the whole body, hiding away any mortal appearance. Yet there was something indescribable about the man, some supernatural demeanor about him as if the night itself bore him, darkness flaming through his hidden eyes. The way he scratched the words he said- his strong stance-it all carried an unmistakeable solemn demeanor. It was fascinating for the villain to consider Batman, compared to Robin- what attributes they shared, what split their similarities- it was all so interesting. Curious, he decided to play with The Dark Knight's emotions, wondering how tight Batman kept his strings of control from manipulation. How much easier was the bat to mess with than the bird?

"Bruce," welcomed the man, drawing out his arms as if to mock the knowledge he now held, "a pleasure, I'm sure."

Batman narrowed his eyes, face still consistently pensive. _So he knows. Great. _

"Don't worry," eased Slade as his hands folded behind his back, patiently. "I have no intention of black-mailing you. That's a desperate action for those who hold no real power in attaining their intention. Besides, that would, in turn, put Robin in danger." Slade's one good eye gave him a mischievous look. "And I _wouldn't_ want that."

Now _**that**_got a reaction out of the Caped Crusader.

"What's his welfare to you?" Batman asked coldly, refusing to reveal the spark of anger at the mention of his ward's safety. He wasn't very well informed of Robin's rivalry with this villain, but he did know (mainly from the media) that Slade was Robin's arch enemy. Slade was Robin's Joker.

"More than it is to you, it seems...," scoffed Slade tilting his head to watch how the threat would respond.

The hero's fists clutched together, restraining his provoked anger. _He's playing me. That's obvious. Still, there does seem to be some honest interest in Robin-some intention that he's not letting me know, that he's taunting me with to bring my downfall._

Normally by this point, Batman would have pinned the man to the wall and demanded answers about his consideration of _his_ ward, but he bade his temper. This was a new villain. He played different rules to the game, and the hero had to discover his next move before it was made. Dick's safety may rely on it.

Still questions plagued his mind, opening up several unseen doors of dreadful possibilities. He had been concerned when Robin first left. The kid was smart, very alert and aware of his surroundings, but his impulsive emotions could result in something more serious...something like this...The most deadly villains were those obsessed with their opponent. Slade was clearly one of those villains who enjoyed roaming the mind and picking at emotions like unprotected triggers to exploit those weaknesses.

And Bruce knew how many triggers Robin had, how many triggers this man may already be pulling.

"You know, you did an excellent job training him," Slade complimented. "I was impressed the first time I saw the little bird. And I am very rarely impressed. His strength, agility, brains...it's all so well established." Batman narrowed his eyes in a deep resentment toward the man intruding upon those in his life. "Still, there's so much he can learn, so much I can teach him..." The masked eyes spread open at that unexpected comment. "After all, he never completed his training with me..."

"What are you talking about?" he demanded in a cold, dark voice, suddenly slamming the masked menace against a wall. He was unable to maintain a calm composure any longer, the lack of answers cutting a foreshadowing fear upon him was bleeding out with worry.

"Oh..., so he never told you," mused Slade, knowing very well that Robin had intentionally withheld that information from his mentor. "Well, I suppose you two could discuss such matters later... assuming that he's still willing to talk to you."

Furious, Batman threw a punch but it was caught by the other gloved hand.

A dangerous glare was shared between the two as they stayed in that stressed position, tension growing so thick that one could practically inhale it. Their narrowing eyes held a vicious fiery hatred, warning to release the flames of violence in a lethal battle of brutality, each of them waiting for the first move.

Batman gladly delivered that as he spun to the side, throwing batarangs out in the process. Slade tumbled away into a stance as he brought out his staff. Just at choosing his favorite weapon, a smoke bomb hit the floor, giving the bat his favorable element.

The dark cape flapped rapidly as limbs flung out of it at the opponent. Slade reacted with his own lightning-quick blocks, delivering a couple of avoided punches and kicks in the process. The mercenary pressed a button on his staff, producing electric as he swatted the staff at the hero. Batman avoided the attacks as he backed away. At a decent distance away from the villain, Batman quickly ducked beneath the staff's height and kicked Slade's legs down, making the criminal fall briefly.

As he instantly arose to a stance, Batman threw a kick. Slade blocked it away with his quick elbow. Before his limb lowered from its recent defense, an intense series of punches followed, all of which Slade blocked with all of his limbs, gradually backing away. Slade tried to jab Batman's stomach with his staff, but the effort was in vain for Gotham's Guardian avoided it. Skillfully, Batman dodged the swipes, throwing his own electric disk at the rival. Slade flipped away from the weapon and landed on all fours as the explosion erupted behind him, ruble flying out on his back.

Batman had dissipated into the shadows of corners. Slade stalked around the room, looking for the

threat as he replaced his staff with a hand-gun. The only light in the metal room, focused on the chip, flickered from the explosion. Light came and went in an eerie manner. Slade's steady pacing followed the light's rhythm, his eye searching for the bat.

"He was an excellent student," said Slade, prying Batman out of his hiding. "Such brutality and swift onslaught...and his use of _**guns**_...very impressive..."

_That does it! _An infuriated fighter leaped from a shadow to tackle the threat. He grabbed hold of Slade's neck and slammed him to the floor.

"He does NOT use guns!" Batman demanded, hot rage burning through his cowled face. His muscles tightened in determination to hold down this monster who threatened him with an unknown history he was not privileged to learn.

"Oh, he _does_," taunted Slade. "What mentor would I be if I didn't teach my apprentice how to fire such a useful tool?" The word 'apprentice' seemed to stick in Batman's mind. "I'm glad I did, by the way. He's an impeccable aim, far better with a bullet than a boomerang..."

Nose flaring, Batman threw a punch down at his restrained opponent, but Slade quickly kneed his stomach before the fist reached him. The unexpected action loosened his hold and Slade kicked him off, back-flipping into a stance where he aimed his gun at the Gothamite.

Batman froze in his hunched position, a solemn look shadowed over his face. The gun pointed directly at him as all time froze in a state of shock. The light continued to flicker as if trembling for the safety of the hero. The silence strengthened the tension in the room as the two foes stood, mask to mask.

Slade's finger stroked the trigger. Batman narrowed his eyes. His fists clenched. His chest tightened, weighing his options. This wasn't the first time a gun had been aimed at him, but Slade had faster reflexes than most others.

Concerns about Robin's safety flashed through his mind. He wasn't going to die. He had to make sure that Robin was alright, that all of Slade's accusations were false. He couldn't accept death without knowing the truth: Had Robin really worked for Slade? Why When? _How?_ It didn't take long to realize that the very thoughts coursing through his mind currently could possibly be the last thoughts he'd have. He could try to dodge the bullet...the flickering darkness would aid in such a plan. It was his only chance.

_I'm not leaving Robin to this maniac without a fight. _He waited until the third flicker to strike.

One. The eyes remained on each opponent, content flickering their loathing toward each other.

Two. The lights fluttered. Batman braced himself for moving into its next momentary darkness.

Thr-

"Another time, perhaps," said Slade barely before Batman bolted away. The mercenary packed away his gun, a sinister smile owning his face.

"What's the sudden change of plans?" asked Batman unphased from the gun that had previously just been pointed at his face.

"It's not my intention to kill you...not yet anyways," explained Slade, a wicked amusement following his next words. "Maybe I'll just have Robin finish you off for me-show you what he can do with a gun..."

Outraged, Batman leaped after him, but Slade had thrown an explosive at him. He quickly dodged the attack, but it hit the wall, bursting it open. A quick smoke bomb hit the floor and Slade was carried off-with the chip-into the murky night of destiny yet to be fulfilled.

The Caped Crusader ran to the hole in the wall, finding no trace of Slade. Something was wrong here-_**dreadfully**_ wrong. Slade seemed a smart man. He understood that Slade not shooting him was not meant to be an act of charity. The only reason he wouldn't kill Batman was if he needed the man to fulfill a purpose-something big. Slade was a high-profile criminal. Batman knew that much. So why make a personal visit to Gotham to get a chip instead of his robots fulfilling that task?

_He wants something from me. More importantly, he wants something from Robin. _

Robin. Was everything Slade just told him true? Somehow, despite every horrible aspect Slade's impression gave, a liar did not seem to be one of them. He mentioned Robin being his apprentice. Had Robin's intense rivalry with this man been a cover-up from a secret partnership the two had? Was Slade wanting to exploit that? The questions kept eating at the man like starving mosquitoes.

He needed answers and he needed them now. He pressed a communication link in his ear.

"Alfred, bring me the jet. I'm going to Jump."

"...Sir...?" Alfred said questioning the unspoken deal between him and his ward's space.

"It's that bad," he justified back. "And prepare the recovery room in the batcave. I have a feeling that things are going to get ugly..."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, folks. I wanted the focus to be a Batman vs. Slade scene. It wasn't too big though cause I'm planning a more dramatic one in chapters to come. **

**-Tabie Out!**


	7. Madness

-Slade's Lair-

Lurching gears hummed to the music of victory as plans fell into their designed places. The hissing gas wheezed out into the metallic, cold air. Shadows drenched their dark touch upon every gun hung upon the wall for use. Lines and lines of robots aligned together, as an army would assemble before war. Indeed, war it was...for preparation dressed the tin-like structure of lair.

Patiently, Slade stood in front of a table, constructing a gun. Time Warp looked over to him, temper worn on his his tired face. The long nights bore their pain on the man from the future who was not accustomed to such cruel hours. There were times when he questioned the obvious endurance Slade displayed through the night.

"Where's the wrench?" demanded Time Warp, impatiently.

"Excuse me?" There was a sharp edge of threatening danger in Slade's sinister voice. Despite such a warning, the technician continued his poor, foolish behavior.

"The wrench. The tool you use to turn screws? Surely your simple-minded generation can-"

"I wouldn't use such a tone if I were you," lectured Slade, letting the gun he was assembling into view as a silent reminder of obedience. "It's not suiting of one so...weak."

"Weak?_** Me?**_" scolded the man, hotly. "I don't believe I was the one who let Batman-one of the most legendary heroes-live!" He jumped into a stance in resentment.

Before a drop of sweat had the chance to form on Time Warp's brow, Slade snatched him into a neck-grip.

"Ah, yes," chuckled Slade in his smooth, deadly tone. "His life. You're upset that I didn't end it, are you?" his single eye squinted, sending a good number of shivers up Time Warp's spine. His breathing advanced heavily, as precipitation thickly coated his pale face. "Tell me, what's more painful: an ended, restful life, or a life inflicted with constant...cruel...pain?" At that, Slade tightened his hold, cutting off the oxygen to the man's throat.

After a good number of pitiful wheezes, Slade dropped the inventor and stared down at his shivering figure on the floor before returning to his previous work.

It took a while for Time Warp to reclaim his own breath, kneeling on the floor and clutching his freed throat. His eyes were wide with disbelief at the recent action. For so long, he seemed all-powerful, the bender of time itself. Such a title would surely strike fear in anyone. How was it possible that one man could drop him to such a low status of disgrace? Slade-he was not normal- he was more than just a threat; he was the downfall to any idiot in his way.

The most frightening, most terrifying truth to acknowledge was that the question Slade asked was not only directed toward Batman...Slade was giving Time Warp an option...and the masked terror was more than willing to carry out with the threat.

-Elsewhere in Jump City-

Multiple computer screens, newspaper clippings, files, documents, and any other resource of researching occupied the abandoned theater downtown. Ever since the Titans had formed, Robin secretly designed a separate hide-out, should their Tower ever be destroyed or his friends turn on him through manipulation. Such extreme measures of precaution may be considered distrusting and paranoid. The teen knew that, but it all just seemed well-prepared to him. After all, how many times had he and his fellow Titans been hypnotized by an evil source? It only seemed logical to have a classified back-up plan...it only seemed logical to Robin, that is.

Fervently, the Titan studied his papers, hunched near the little computer light granted. Slade was staying low...almost as if he had just disappeared. The teen sighed as he hacked into security footage of the Sladebots' latest robbery of the parts essential for the time machine.

Robin breathed out heavily under the overwhelming stress. He had researched Time Warp's designs for the machine enough to practically be an expert in time travel, himself. Yes, he had stolen the papers. Was it so much of a crime to steal from a man who-not only steals as a living-but was getting ready to rewrite history, itself?

An altered past,...a completely new future. He wouldn't remember anything: Batman's training, the Titans, his friends; it would all be completely stolen. None of it would have happened...not even a scrap of recollection for him to reflect upon would remain. The mere thought bore too much pain to fully grasp. The cup of memory would be absolutely drained, washed clean...to be refilled with a much more horrid, bitter life. It surpassed any amount of cruelty Slade had ever exhibited. This was wholly and utterly_ monstrous_- to reshape everything he had based his heroic morals upon- to break his foundation of right and wrong, and replace it with a darker one. A ruthless, consuming evil background to transform him into his own destructive self that would pull him into the depths of insanity.

He slammed his fist onto the small desk, biting his lip in frustration. He needed to find Slade, to stop him! This madness needed to die, it needed to fall away from the clutch of reality and back into the gulf of fantasy, where it belonged! He couldn't stand it- couldn't stand the possibility that a few twists in the past would reshape his future. Slade's tutelage and guidance would undeniably cut the innocence of his soul and wrench out the darker demon that dwelt within it. It would eat him alive, infect his heart to the lead-felt heart of coldness. Shivers crawled up his spine at the fearful thoughts, engulfing him into the mouth of strong terror, its teeth of uncertainty piercing his already bleeding heart.

Robin jumped up and threw his research table over with a yell of fury. This wasn't fare! No one should fear losing their sanity to lost memories. No one.

He punched the wall, leaving an ugly mark upon it. Shaking his head, he desperately strove to reclaim his hold of stability. Slowly he breathed out, touching his forehead to the cold feel of the wall. Trembling slightly, he felt his chest heaving, too heavy to breathe right. Grinding his teeth, his nostrils grasped for the air. He clutched his hands into fist, sweat sliding down his face. This pressure and stress was wrapping around his brain, suffocating it into hysteria.

This was more than just putting Slade behind bars, more than bringing down his inner demon. This was preventing the madman from revising his entire life!

A sudden rush of memories hit his mind like a refreshing gust of wind. He saw himself studying detective work with Bruce, watching movies with the Titans, watching Gotham upon a gargoyle. He smelt Alfred's cookies, the fresh-cut grass Cyborg was mowing, the smoke of Starfire's burning food. He felt the sweat of a hard work's day, the hug of Starfire, the coat Alfred ordered him to wear on a winter's day. He tasted the pizza he and the Titans gorged, the tea he and Raven enjoyed on occasion, the fresh rain in Gotham. He heard the sound of Beast Boy's laugh, Batman's gruff voice, the song of a free robin in the morning.

A free robin...

He remembered his first time moving into Wayne Manor...

* * *

_His expression at the large size was priceless- wide eyes, mouth dropped open; it was hilariously indescribable. It took him a while to register how ANYONE could use so much space! It was bigger than the circus tent, which held hundreds of people, elephants, and countless booths. To think that one person would own this single house was beyond his comprehension! One would need a GPS to navigate through that many halls! Then fear plucked his heart-what if HE got lost? Would anyone know where to find him? Would anyone care? After all, he had spent a few days at an Juvenal where no one offered any concern to a child WITHOUT parents. It was like the loss of parents automatically dropped one's own personal worth._

_He gulped at the intimidating home, taking a step back in caution. Caution...funny, he never felt that emotion before he became an orphan. _

"_Alfred will show you to your room," instructed Bruce, putting a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Do you need help with the luggage?"_

_Dick looked down to his single suitcase and back-pack. "No thank you, sir. I want my things with me in case I get lost."_

_A sudden large, unexpected chuckle overcame Bruce at the honest words of the lad. Dick looked up at him, shaken that the tall man actually found humor in the word's of a child. The recent experience he had just had over the past few days left him with the impression that men in suits contained no expression._

"_I say sir," joked Alfred lightly. "It's no wonder you've keep your expression of amusement so mild in the past. Such a loud laugh would surely break the chandelier to the floor."_

_Automatically, Dick stepped away from under the chandelier._

_Alfred reached for Dick's suitcase, but the boy picked it up before the man caught complete grasp. "It's okay. It's not heavy. I don't have much," said Dick, politely._

_Little did he know that that statement would soon be false for when he had climbed the winding stairs with Alfred, his room was packed with piles of toys. X-Box, legos, stuffed animals, tinker-toys, sport equipment, practically every toy be-known to the planet...or at least, to Dick._

"_I...," Dick muttered, shock smeared upon his face,...and something else...sadness, perhaps? "I don't need all this," he told the butler, innocently._

"_No single child does, I suppose," said Alfred, affectionately. "But, I fear Master Bruce knows very little of children. I'm sure you may correct his understanding within time." _

_Following those words, Alfred left the overly sized room as Dick was left to unpack. However, he avoided unpacking right away. He didn't want to look back on his possessions, memories of his parents piercing his heart on the look of his treasures of the lost. All he needed was time to adjust to their deaths, not toys, not a large mansion, just time..._

* * *

"_I didn't always look like this," said Cyborg solemnly. The two teens sat on the couch while the night spread her sheets outside. Cyborg had just come back from being kidnapped by Fixit-a guy who wasn't really as bad as they all thought-just a confused, misguided robotic man. By the time they had all headed back to the tower, Robin insisted Cyborg open up to him. Cyborg didn't wear a mask, there was no reason for him to conceal his past._

"_I use to have a life, just like any other teen," continued the older boy, slouching in a depressed demeanor. "I was in high school, best on their sports teams...just like any other kid. Then..," he looked down at his metal hands, "...then the accident happened. I should have died. That's what they told me. But, I didn't. I was recovered, and...," a small, sad chuckle crept upon his lips, "well...imagine my reaction when I looked in the mirror."_

_Robin looked at his friend, seriously. It was difficult to see Cyborg so crestfallen at his mechanical side. Normally, he embraced being a cyborg, positively. That's what made him such a strong team member. Not only did he have incredible athletic ability and mechanical weapons to back him up, he also had an unquenchable fire of spirit. More importantly, it's what made him a great friend._

"_Must've been a lot to deal with," admitted Robin, looking at him with a sympathetic type of compassion._

"_Hardest thing in my life," sighed the teen. "I just felt so...different."_

"_Different...," repeated Robin a form of consideration shaping his face. Then a brisk smile graced his expression. "Where I grew up...different was what united me with my friends, my family really."_

"_You mean...," started Cyborg, considering his next words in fear he might cross a line in mentioning his old mentor, "...you mean with Batman?"_

"_Hm? Oh, no. Before that," said Robin, dismissively. "Where I grew up, it was our differences that really brought us together. Guess that's why I feel so at home with you and the other Titans. It's just like old times I lost. You, Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire...you're all my family."_

_Cyborg's eye widened a bit. Robin rarely opened up like this for the leader found it a weakness. But, Robin knew when and how to make others feel better about themselves. _

"_Yeah," agreed Cyborg, attempting to lessen the solemnity with a teasing, evil smile. "I know how close you are to Starfire..."_

_Robin blushed, furiously. _

"_Whoa, stop!" yelled Robin, throwing a pillow from the couch upon his brotherly figure. "She's not- we're not-!"_

"_OH!" laughed Cyborg, his classic humor rolling back into motion. "DENIAL! You love her," he sang. "You love her you loOoOove her!_

"_Shut up!" _

_It was following that moment that an epic pillow fight broke loose, awakening Raven who scolded them. Beast Boy playfully joined the battle while Starfire merely laughed from behind the door where she had heard the whole conversation between the two boys._

* * *

"_Don't tell me it was just a bad dream," lectured Raven though his doorway. _

"_What do you want me to tell you?" sighed Robin, sitting on the edge of his bed, his cold, sweaty bangs hiding his pale face._

"_The truth would be nice."_

"_It's just some past memories. Not a big deal."_

"_Maybe not,...but silencing yourself doesn't make them any less painful." Robin sent a questioning look at her._

"_We all have our secrets," justified the Boy Wonder. "Can you honestly tell me you don't?"_

_The Goth bit her lip, not denying the answer. Yes, she held her own secrets. If the Titans ever found out that she was the daughter of Trigon, could they still see her as a hero, a friend? It was only an amount of torturous, dragging time until the demon returned through her, destroying everything she had silently learned to love. Joining the Titans had taught her confidence in actually feeling something again. For so long, she tried desperately to numb out any emotion within her, treating her own self like a dangerous bomb, ready to explode at any moment. She tried to grow distant from her friends, scared that she would grow too attached to them just to see them killed when her father came. Yet, as time drew on, a hidden love of them embraced her heart. It was just like a plant growing through a sidewalk crack, unintentional but undeniably beautiful. She couldn't destroy the love. She tried: criticized their actions, used sarcastic remarks, meditated, everything she could to destroy that blasted affection growing through the darkness in her heart. _

_Unfortunately, the love was too strong._

"_I'll respect your personal life," she said, avoiding his question. "That is why you wear a mask, after all..."_

"_I have to," justified Robin, calmly, touching the mask on his face._

"_You don't trust us," she said rather casually as she levitated closer inside his room. "You didn't trust us with Red X, and you don't trust us now."_

"_Is that what this is about? Red X?" demanded Robin, a bit of frustration scraping his tone. "Look, I said I was sorry so why-"_

"_I'm not trying to condemn," she clarified, raising a hand to stop his rant. "I'm trying to help. You've been burdened with a memory of loss inside your mind. I've felt it all day."_

_Robin blinked, somewhat humbled by his quick accusation. He scratched the back of his head in regret as he looked at Raven. "It's...sort of the anniversary of a loss..."_

_A sympathetic wave of emotion washed over her majestic eyes as she looked at the friend who understood her better than anyone. _

"_I'm sorry," she said. Robin merely shrugged. "I can help." Robin lifted his eyebrow in curiosity to her offer. "Whenever I'm burdened with an emotion, I meditate. I can show you. It will ease your mind of all worldly matters."_

"_I...haven't meditated since I was in Gotham..."_

"_That would explain your stressed attitude," laughed Raven, lightly. She then sat down, her legs crossed in a calm demeanor. "Follow my lead," she instructed._

_Robin obliged accordingly, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. He put his fists together as his eyes closed, tightly. The relaxation soon followed like a wave washing away all of his regret, despair, depression. He felt so weightless, as if all of his concerns just flew away like released balloons into the sky of tranquility._

"_Hey, Raven..."_

"_Hm?"_

"_Want me to show you a traditional Chinese form of meditating?"_

_And that was the first time he had seen and loved the smile that consumed her face._

* * *

_It was late at night, a mood toned in the tower. No one had confronted the issue; it was too painful to force through the mouth, especially to Beast Boy._

"_You have to get out of your room eventually," said Robin, knocking on the changeling's door. "I'm coming in if you don't."_

"_I don't care," sighed Beast Boy, sadly._

_His doors automatically opened to reveal a concerned leader. He walked through the junk-infested floor to the corner where Beast Boy slumped. Normally upon entering the room, Beast Boy would pull one of his stupid pranks on them. Not this time though. The humor held in Beast Boy just seemed so drained._

"_Look, Beast Boy...I know Terra was close to you." _

"_How could she just betray us?" asked Beast Boy, a pained expression twisting on his face as he looked up to his brotherly friend. "I never thought she would ever do this."_

"_None of us did," admitted Robin. He then sighed as he sat beside the younger Titan. "If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I knew something was off about her the first time I met her. She was...unstable. But, I kept it to myself, and it cost the whole team in the end."_

_Beast Boy seemed to soak in this information. He squeezed his legs in some vain hope of comfort to his aching heart. He closed his eyes tightly and looked away from the elder teen. _

"_I have to ask you something," said Beast Boy, forcing his eyes back to Robin's gaze. "You have to be honest. Don't lie; not to me."_

_Robin narrowed his eyes, nodding in serious motivation for Beast Boy to speak._

_Beast Boy sighed, and gathered all his courage for the following words. "When you were Slade's apprentice...did he...**hurt** you?" _

_Robin's eyes went wide in horror, wishing he hadn't promised honesty to his friend. Beast Boy was worried for Terra joining the villain. He wanted to know if the man would harm her. And what pained Robin was that he knew Slade would._

_Beast Boy looked at him, frozen in concern. He clenched his jaw awaiting for the answer he was about to be hit with._

"_I wish I could say 'no'. For Terra's sake, I wish I could say 'no'." _

_Tears welled in his wide eyes. His thick, dark eyebrows sagged in heavy terror at the words. Despite how she betrayed all of them, Beast wouldn't lie in saying that he didn't love her. Somewhere in that evil action of hurting them, Beast Boy knew that the Terra he grew to love was still inside her, and he didn't want her hurt, not by Slade._

"_She's strong though," Robin tried to assure with a hand on Beast Boy's slim shoulder. Then his tone went colder."I'll get Slade, Beast Boy. And when I do, I'll make him pay."_

_Beast Boy instantly ducked his head into his folded arms, silent sobs breaking loose. He shook from the trauma in the corner. He had tried so hard to be strong, to somehow ignore the endless amount of pain, but it was just too much. The grief crumbled its heavy weight upon him, burring him under the remains of heartache._

_Robin looked, at him sadly, wishing he could help. He knew what it was like to try and hold back the strong flow of tears, to wear a mask of bravery. So he did all he could do for Beast Boy; he sat beside him, just letting his presence remind the younger one that he wasn't alone._

* * *

"_What are you reading?" asked Robin to his new friend: Starfire. He peeked into her room as she buried her beautiful face in a teen, romance magazine._

_Her emerald eyes lifted to acknowledge his presence. She pleasantly smiled at his company, an eagerness lighting her eyes. _

"_Oh, welcome, Robin. I am merely reading the overly advertized edition of week of teens," she beamed, beckoning for him to enter._

"_How's that working out for you?" he said, walking beside her._

"_I am most thrilled with your earthly, adolescent gender-specific activities!" she gleamed. "The painting of the toes, the maneuvered hair, the make of overs, they all sound so glorious!"_

"_Guess they don't have all that in a warrior-centered society on Tamaran, huh?"_

"_No, unfortunately, they do not," she said before her mood began to dampen with concern. "And yet I am also...disturbed by some of the earthly representations of love." She turned to the page of a young boy giving the girl flowers. "Why is this boy offering dead flowers to the girl?"_

"_Uh, I guess girls think they're pretty...?" shrugged Robin._

"_Agreed, they are. But, they are dead. Should not love represent an object that lasts forever? Surely it would be very sad to behold the flowers wilt for it would represent the love wilting into a darkness of hopelessness." She put down the magazine, sorrow touching her face. "On my planet, we embrace our emotions. On the few days I have spent on earth, you seem to try to conceal them. Emotions are the core of energy." She formed a green light in her hand as a representation. "Is that not good on earth?"_

_Robin blinked, a bit taken back by such a complex set of emotions. She was very open about these kinds of things, unlike him. Maybe that's one of the many reasons he liked her. She was just one of those books that's very straight-to-the-point, but took a while to read, and he was enjoying the first chapter._

"_Well, I guess some of us are afraid to get hurt if they show too much emotion." _

_The Tamaranian looked at him, pity swelling in her enchanting eyes. Her tan hand reached across to Robin's gloved one, causing the teen to blush to no end._

"_Are you afraid? Is that not why you hide your face?"_

"_Uh, the mask is just...it's just for my ID. See, here, if an enemy discovers your past and relations, he or she might try to use it against you."_

"_I am fully aware of that. But, I asked if you were afraid and you neglected to respond." Her large, curious eyes stared past Robin's guarded eyes and into his soul._

"_I-no. Well, I mean, maybe. Maybe just a little," admitted Robin, rubbing the back of his head. Darn, why did she have to force a reaction of honesty from him?_

_Sympathy flooded her green eyes. "Fear not," she comforted with an encouraging smile. "You need not fear to express such emotion near me."_

"_Uh, thanks..."_

"_I love you, Robin," she said very plainly. "I love you far longer than any flower could wilt."_

_Robin's hidden eyes widened in fear. His throat got caught with anticipation. He really wasn't good at this serious discussion of...feelings. He would admit it wasn't a strength of his so a pathetic excuse of a response came to her._

"_...well, you know...I think you're pretty-uh, cool," said Robin as casually as he could._

_Starfire's eyes fell in slight disappointment. Nonetheless, she thanked him for the compliment. Maybe she was right. Maybe most people really needed to learn to convey their words, to transmit the screaming of their hearts to the words of their lips. So later in the day, Robin left an object on Starfire's desk: a crystallized rock. He had found it deep within the batcave and kept it in pure interest to its various, glimmering colors. _

_Unlike a flower, a rock lasts forever._

* * *

"_You haven't let me go in over two months!" demanded Dick as Bruce pulled on his cowl. "I'm more than fit to go out there. My bandages have been off for at least a week now, and I've kept up with my training!"_

"_I said no." Bruce walked past him and down the stairs to his automobile._

"_STOP!" yelled Dick, running in front of the door to the car. "You can't keep brushing me off like this! I'm ready to go back out there, and you know it!"_

"_I'm not going to have this argument again," retorted Batman, looking down to his ward's defiant stance. "Get out of my way."_

"_Make me," snarled Dick, aggressively. His pure blue eyes shot their stare at the masked pair. He changed his stance to a fighting position, ready to show his mentor how prepared he was. "I'll show you I'm ready!"_

"_Are you really so selfish?" snarled Batman, cruelly. "You want to waste my time fighting rather than time lives could be saved?"_

"_Don't you DARE accuse me of selfishness!" screamed Dick. "You're the selfish one! Had you let me come just yesterday, that old man wouldn't have died from the fire! I could have saved him since you were occupied with Penguin!"_

"_If you bring that up one more time-!" The tone grew dark and threatening, but it wasn't enough to silence the teen._

"_Then what? You'll ground me? Keep me from patrol? You've already done that! And for what? Because I tried to help! That's all I've been trying to do!"_

"_You were shot!" The scream cut a deep tension between the air. It wasn't as if Robin hadn't ever been injured on patrol before. Fighting psychotic, violent villains tended to leave more than just sweat on their backs. What tore such uneasiness from the Dark Knight was that Robin had never been shot before...shot...just like Bruce's parents. He lied there, bleeding, unconscious, death shadowing its claw of danger on Robin's youthful face. Batman couldn't do anything; he was helpless, unable to help in any way while ha sat beside Dick's still form on the medical bed. Such dependence upon only slim luck was not a situation he enjoyed living upon._

"_And I'm better now! I'm ready for this! I'm ready for crime-fighting again!"_

"_That's not your decision to make."_

"_Nothing ever is!"_

"_You're not going. Get use to it, and move on!"_

_There was a solemn silence spilling throughout the cave at those words. No bat squeaked, no water dripped; silence flooded upon them. 'Move on'. What did he mean by that? Did he mean...?_

"_Are you ever going to let me be Robin again...?"_

_Dick forced those dreaded words out his mouth, ignoring the foreshadowed answer. His eyes were wide and pleading, face pale waiting for the response. Impatiently, he looked upon his mentor's lips for their movement of an answer. Yet, all he could hear was the rapid beating of his aching heart._

_Bruce shut his eyes, gently pushing Robin away from the door._

"_NO!" screamed Robin, escaping his grasp to slam his fist upon the hood of the Batmobile. "No, you can't just dismiss me like that! I'm not a child! How dare you just ignore me, you-!_

"_You are a child, and as one, you will refrain from such a tone with me!"_

"_I can do whatever I want!"_

"_Not in my house!" The echo of such a scream beat throughout the endless cave. Robin snarled, and breathed through his nostrils in hot resentment, steaming his face red with fury. _

"_Fine...," whispered Dick, darkly._

"_What?" asked Batman, a bit taken back by such intensely solemn agreement._

"_I said fine! FINE! I get it; your house, your rules!" He slashed his hands through the air with drama as he turned his back to the man. He stormed up the stairs with only the echo, "I finally get it," ringing into Batman's ears. _

_It wasn't until morning, where his ward went missing, and a hero appeared in Jump City, did Batman realize the meaning of those last words._

* * *

Suddenly, the trip of memories was interrupted by an alert, like a speed bump to a racing car. Robin

rushed to the source of the noise: his communicator, announcing a robbery.

The mechanism flashed Slade's name.

-Titans' Tower-

It had been almost a day since Robin's escape and their concern grew thicker and thicker with the ticking of the heartless clock. Maps lied upon the messy floor, pins decorating landmarks of suspected hideouts for Robin. The Titans scavenged for ideas on where to find him, but they had practically searched every corner of the city just to come back empty-handed.

They all sat at the kitchen table, silently reviewing the maps of the city, their tension killing all of them. Cyborg rubbed his tired eye, Raven appeared even more depressed than her normal self, Beast Boy stared off into space in fear of his friend. Starfire...she scanned the maps through her tearful eyes, on the edge of a break-down. They all knew that Robin was more than capable to take care of himself, but under the circumstances of dust, he might not make it to the next day. Last time they found him, alone in the dark, the stress of his body had almost torn him apart. Now, the fear of their missing friend was eating them apart in the cruelest ways.

"Anyone have any ideas on where he could be?" asked Cyborg hopelessly, eager to break the building silence. He didn't know why he spoke for he knew none of them could find the slightest lead.

"No," sighed Beast Boy. "Why not have Raven go into his mind to find him, like she did before?"

"I can't," said Raven, pulling down her hood. "I tried. He's too far away to make mind contact. When the dust was in his system before, he was within the tower."

Another painful course of silence spaced in between the Titans as they returned to their contemplation. It was almost as if Robin had just vanished- slipped off the earth with the wind of night like a phantom. He was nowhere to be found.

"Please, just say it," cried Starfire as she ducked her head into her folded arms, finally breaking her bottle of emotions through her strained tone.

The Titans all turned their heads to the sudden emotion.

"Hey, Star, what's wrong?" asked Cyborg as softly as he could, placing his large, mechanical hand upon her slim shoulder.

"The fault of his escape is mine!" she bawled, shaking at the inner guilt that killed her opportunist spirit. "It was I who released him, I who broke the straps and freed him into the world where darkness kills him!"

"Star...," whispered Beast Boy, a sad, disturbed look upon his face.

"You did what you thought was right," supported Raven as well as she could. "No one could blame you for that."

"We'll find him," encouraged Cyborg, comfortingly. Starfire struggled to smile at all of their efforts but could not deny the shame tightening around her mind.

All of a sudden, the doors behind them opened.

Starfire's aching heart leaped in hopeful joy. Despite the unexplained dark aura that gushed within the room from the doors, she flew quickly to the entrance, assuming it to be Robin whom opened them. However, a dark figure entered instead, shadows seeming to melt behind him at his presence. The young girl's fresh smile soon faded away in both surprise and disappointment.

"Where is he?" demanded Batman, darkly.

Slowly, the other three Titans rose to confront the legendary hero. Cyborg's mouth was wide, Beast Boy froze in shock...even Raven couldn't help her eyes from widening.

"_**Where is he?**_"

Raven bravely took a step forward. "He's missing," she said calmly.

Beast Boy's and Cyborg's mouths dropped, feeling the tension in the room electrify all of their spines. Starfire just stood there, curious about the man, but she didn't say anything. The stress in the air was too heavy for most to speak. This man, if that's what he was, seemed to form the thickest air by just his mere demeanor.

"_**He's WHAT!?**_" roared the hero, his cape slashing heavily to the side as he faced the Goth. She held her eyes firm, refusing to show any weak fright in front of this man.

"He can't be too far away," eased Cyborg. "It's just a matter of time until-"

An unexpected alarm cut him off. Cyborg rushed to the computer that sounded the alarm, grateful for the interruption. Yet, what information flashed on the computer was far worse than Batman's rage.

"No," gasped Cyborg.

"What's wrong?" asked Beast Boy, walking up to the older teen. "What's the emergenc-?" His words stopped in fear as he looked upon the large screen. "No way..."

The video coverage showed something, something that completely changed the situation, that changed everything.

"Slade!" exclaimed Starfire, throwing her hands to cover her mouth in grief.

"He was right," said Raven, dumbfounded. "They weren't hallucinations. Slade was really there-!"

"And where Slade is...," started Cyborg.

"...Robin follows," Beast Boy finished.

A relieved sigh fell from Starfire's lips at the suggested safety of Robin. She placed a hand to her chest to tame her jumping heart.

"Alright, Batman, we-" began Cyborg as he turned around, expecting to see the hero, but finding that empty space.

The Titans all looked out the window to see a sleek, black jet cut through the dark, storming clouds and headed for the robbery.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so it just occurred to me that some reading this may not know what the deal with Time Warp is. Why isn't he a baby like where he left off in, "How Long is Forever?" Well, according to a "Teen Titans Go!" comic I read, (#33, I think) he ended off a baby, grew up, then found a way to go to the past again. Yeah, confusing, I know :P Just FYI.**

**I enjoyed writing Robin's memories because I wanted you readers to feel and see what memories he would lose, thus why he's going kinda crazy. There was a bit of Robstar and Robrae in there...however you guys wanna see it. :) **

**Anyways, thanks for all your guys' reviews! I love the enthusiasm and questions. :3 You all ROCK! **

**R&R!**

**-Tabiebear OUT!**


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